


Days of Years Gone By

by Paint_It_Yellow



Series: Life Goes On (Post GX Canon) [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: AroAce Asuka, Attempt at Humor, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Multi, Petty Arguments, Platonic Relationships, any time i ever write rei she'll always be trans sorry i don't make the rules it's just how it is, because I say so, chapter seven has some pretty clear abandonment issues for some reason, characters will be added as they appear!, do any of these kids have normal families?, it's not stated but rei's trans, last chapter and i got some dinosaur mentions be proud, like most of these kids have some sort of communication issues, lots of fire, no betas we die like men, no dinosaur mentions sadly, not explicitly stated but implied, not yet anyway, second last chapter and still there's no normal families, the soulshipping is there but it's not like incredibly prevalent, there's a few ocs but they're one offs, they/them pronouns for yubel, yugioh advent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-05 04:04:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 35,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16803283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paint_It_Yellow/pseuds/Paint_It_Yellow
Summary: Christmas closes in and so, it's the time of year for everyone to gather their friends and family around the fire for a good long day of festivities. But before that, there's still an entire month to last.





	1. Fire (Judai & Yubel & Daitokuji)

To be perfectly honest, Judai wasn’t all too sure how he ended up sitting cross-legged by a fire that’s in an actual house and not outside of a tent. Actually, no. That’s a lie, pure and simple. He knew exactly how he got into this situation and he wasn’t exactly fond of it.

See, winter’s never really a great season to be a traveller. Especially when you’re a traveller with very little money and thus spend most of your time hanging around in a tent in some field-

“Or a bench in a park,” the Professor cheerfully injected.

“Okay, that’s unfair; it was once and it wasn’t my fault that I didn’t buy a tent and I managed to land in the one town that didn’t have a bed and breakfast.”

“Once is more than enough,” Yubel muttered somewhere in the back of their joint mind. “It’s bad enough that you insist on not taking care of yourself in favour of being homeless.”

“I’m not homeless!”

“We’ve been over this before.”

“But I’m not! I just don’t have a fixed address s’all. I stay in houses all the time!” Judai stilled his movements, feeling Pharaoh start to stir from his lap.

“That’s pretty much the definition of homeless,” Daitokuji ever-so-helpfully interjected.

Judai rolled his eyes and scoffed, looking at Pharaoh almost hopeful at the prospect of him being hungry for a certain somebody’s soul at that current time.

“I’ll still be here,” Yubel reminded, reading his mind and sounding somewhat smug at the fact.

“Yeah, yeah…” Judai huffed with a smile. “That also means that we’re homeless together though.”

Waves of joy exuded from them at the simple fact of them being together. It had been three years- over, in fact- and they still found themself being overwhelmed by the idea. Things were always changing, the simple idea of ‘together’ is all they had as a constant really, but affirmation was always nice.

“Did Asuka say what time she’d be back?” Judai murmured as he leaned over to grab a pillow from the couch before shifting Pharaoh from his throne and onto the pillow. He didn’t seem to care much outside of a quiet grunt of acknowledgement. Lazy cat.

“I don’t think so,” Daitokuji answered, glancing at the clock above the mantle. “It’s been a while, so I assume it’d be soon.”  
With a hum, Judai made his way to his feet, stretching as he went before finally brushing the cat fur off his trousers- or as much of it as he possibly could, anyway.

“What are you doing?” Yubel may be good at figuring out his thoughts, but they weren’t a complete mind reader, however much Judai wondered.

“A walk.”

“But you can’t just leave Pharaoh alone.”

“He won’t be alone, the Professor can spend time with him- and look, I’ll even leave my deck here too! Extra protection.”

“Daitokuji’s dead,” Yubel said blandly, “he’s also prone to being eaten by the cat in question. Plus, I don’t think duel spirits- however many there are- are going to be of much help if Pharaoh decides to scratch up Asuka’s couch.”

“He won’t though! Look at him!” A finger was flung in the direction of the sleeping cat. “He’s too lazy to do anything.”

Yubel hummed, unconvinced and made an appearance specifically just to cross their arms disapprovingly. They didn’t say anything though, which meant Judai was the winner this time.

“Don’t go too far,” Daitokuji reminded as Judai made to open the door. “In case Asuka comes back.”

“Or you get swarmed again and need to make a quick escape,” Yubel added glibly.

Resisting the urge to throw his arms into the air, Judai headed out the door again. It was one time and, yeah, it was awful and he almost had a panic attack, but it was once. Jeez, some spirits just couldn’t let things go…

Letting the door to Asuka’s apartment- for lack of a better term- click itself closed, Judai and his omnipresent partner made their way out of the blue dorm where Asuka’s accommodations were and out into the snow. Ah yes, the reason he’d found himself trapped here.

Judai had been making steady progress at making his way around the country, though this progress was slowed somewhat by the insistence of his travel partners during the past two years that he should make sure to keep contact with his friends. That was how he ended up in the most inconvenient of places to come to- a goddamn island.

Don’t get him wrong, he liked visiting Asuka and all, it’s just that she had to become a teacher at the most hard to reach school possible. Seriously, it’s amazing. Somewhat even more amazing though is that all the teachers just kind of let him show up and stay for a night or two. One would’ve thought that they’d have restrictions on these kind of things.

  
“Somehow, I’d find it harder to believe if they’d tried to stop you,” Yubel mentioned as he voiced his musings. “I mean, after all that happened in your time here it seems they really don’t care for safety much.”

Judai snorted. “I feel like I could’ve done anything and the most I’d get is detention.”

“That is what happened, as far as I’ve been told.”

Pausing, Judai turned to look at Yubel who’d been floating beside him. “And what’ve you been told, exactly?”

Yubel shrugged innocently and went on ahead a bit, turning their head after getting a fair distance. “You coming?”

Rolling his eyes, Judai followed, though not before stuffing his red-tippled hands in his pockets.

Making their way to the coastline, the two came to a halt.

“You know, as much as it sucks to be stuck here for longer than planned, it doesn’t suck as much as I thought it might.”

“And why’s that?”

A shrug. “I’m not sure. Just feels nice.”

“Guess it’s a good thing you ignored us when we told you to check the weather then, huh?”

“Guess so,” Judai chuckled, rocking on the balls of his feet absentmindedly.

Silence washed over them again, as they stood side by side just basking in the presence of one another, one’s warm breath creating puffs in the air that the other could only watch. The sea crashed against the side of the coast on repeat as a breeze started to pick up as if it wasn’t cold enough, though all it did was make a calming warmth flood the two.

“We should head back.” Yubel’s voice soaked the silence away, though it was quiet as though they hadn’t wanted to interrupt the moment.

“Hm?”

“You’ll freeze if you’re out here much longer,” they elaborated. “Bet you’ll have a cold tomorrow morning, too.”

As if to prove their point, Judai let out a sneeze which was promptly dealt with by a wipe on the sleeve.

“Charming.”

Despite the bland, monotonous tone of how it was spoken, Judai’s grin spread as wide as humanly possible. “Ah, but you love me anyway.”

“Got me there.” Yubel found themself laughing. Moments when they were alone were few and in between and, somehow, the rare sound of his partner’s laughter only made his grin larger.

Getting back on track, Yubel voiced the urgency to get back to their lodgings for the night- or maybe next few depending on when the boat was next going to run.

“Right, right. Going.”

As if he were back in first year, Judai traced his steps back, matching his footsteps as best as possible despite going the opposite way. Yubel didn’t say much as they instead listened in to Judai’s wildly varying rambling, any worries he could have seeming to have been burned away as if they’d never existed- at least for the time being.

The journey, therefore, maybe wasn’t quite as peaceful as the scenery itself, though it held its own calming atmosphere to it.

Knocking snow covered shoes on the board outside the dorm as to not track any inside, Judai made his way up back to where he’d come from, the blast of warm air giving him the incentive to get there as quickly as possible so he could get in front of that fire again- maybe he’d even risk moving Pharaoh off to the side so that he could get in front of it! Okay, maybe not, but it was a nice enough idea.

The door opened as smoothly as it had closed, though the inside had changed somewhat since he’d last seen it despite the relatively short time he’d been away.

Pharaoh was no longer in front of the fire and Daitokuji was nowhere in sight, though his lack of attendance was filled in by Asuka who was sitting on a chair by the fire, Pharaoh curled in on her lap as she sat in silence, head turned towards where Judai had just walked in.

“I was wondering where you’d gotten to.”

Judai grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck due to habit. “Y’know, just going out on a stroll.”

“Without a jacket.”

“School’s out for the day.”

“It sure is, but I can’t imagine it’s healthy for anyone to be out in the snow dressed like that.”

Judai caught Yubel nodding slightly off to the side. “Try telling him that,” they said, despite knowing full well that Asuka wouldn’t be able to hear them, though it did cause Judai to roll his eyes as he plopped himself on the very same couch he’d slept on the night before.

“Guessing you’ve heard that one before?” Asuka caught on.

“Too many times to count,” came the affirmation.

This earned him a laugh and a shake of the head, leaning back into the comforts of the seat for a few moments before she sat back up, eyes widening.

“Before I forget-” Asuka reached over to the table beside her and snatched an envelope off of it with a sort of grace that really is spoiled on the picking up of an envelope. “For you.”

Quirking his brow in both curiosity and confusion, Judai stood and grabbed the envelope from the outstretched hand before falling backwards into the couch once more.

Turning the envelope around, he could very clearly see his name printed alongside what was very clearly not his address.

“You don’t have one,” Yubel reminded him, as if he didn’t already know that.

Ignoring his partner’s snide remark, he glanced back up at Asuka who was watching him expectantly.

“Who’s it from?” he asked somewhat cautiously. He didn’t really have anyone he didn’t want to send him a letter, he just didn’t understand why a letter.

“Open it and find out.” If Judai didn’t know any better he’d say that his friend was amused at the idea of Judai receiving a random letter sent to her address and not worried that someone was out to get him and this was some sort of warning note or something.

“You’re too paranoid,” Yubel muttered as they looked at the envelope over his shoulder even though they didn’t really need to. “If anyone tries to hurt you they’ll have to go through me first.”

“Yeah, I know,” Judai whispered. “Can never be too careful though.”

“‘Careful’ and ‘paranoid’ are very different things. It’s just a letter.”

Hesitantly, Judai proceeded to open the envelope as painstakingly slow as he could possibly muster. Asuka almost wondered if he had become part sloth.

Pulling out a card, Judai only needed a brief glimpse to recognise who the sender was. Homemade and a big picture of said person on the front, it’d almost look half-professional if not for the generous serving of glitter- seriously, he was sure he’d be finding glitter on him for months to follow with the amount that spilled over as he pulled the card out.

“Why did your brother send me a card? He knows I’ve got an email, right? And, y’know, a phone.”

“You know him, he likes the dramatics of it all. Besides, he doesn’t have your number or email.”

“You could’ve given it to him.”

“I did, but see the before reasons.”

Judai rolled his eyes. He hadn’t seen Fubuki in ages- yeah, that seemed like an adequate measure of time- so he didn’t get why he got a card that said simply ‘YOU’RE INVITED’ in large, bold, glittering letters.  
  
The inside told him more, yet left him feeling a bit dazed. There wasn’t much written in the letter other than the details of what he needed to know (plus some extra) but it was all written in such a hard-to-read style that Judai had to squint just to read it. He paused before looking up.

“Why am I invited to Fubuki’s Christmas party?”

Asuka smiled. “He’s inviting everyone. It’s been a while since everyone’s been in one place, besides, he likes the excuse to throw parties and now seems like the perfect time.”

“How so?”

“Well from what I’ve heard, mostly everyone’s settling into cycles and you’re most consistently available-”

“You say that as if I’m not busy.”

“I wouldn’t know, but you’re a lot easier to get ahold of nowadays than you were even a year ago.”

“You’re welcome,” Yubel edged in.

“Yubel says ‘you’re welcome’,” Judai repeats blandly, earning a laugh and a ‘thank you’ from Asuka.

“Will you be there then? You don’t have any plans, right?”

“Well, I guess? Maybe.”

“You don’t sound too sure.”

“I just go as life takes me, so I can’t say whether something’ll come up or not.”

“But you’ll be there if nothing stops you,” Asuka pushed forward.

“I… Guess? Yeah. Yeah, sure.”

“I’ll tell him the news then.”

Judai hadn’t noticed the small smile he sported til the conversation lapsed and then he was all too aware.

He hadn’t been at a party in years. Maybe ever? He couldn’t think. What do you wear? He didn’t have many clothes to wear in the first place- what if they expected him to wear something fancy? He didn’t have the money to go spending on some fancy clothes that’d just get wrinkled in his bag anyway. He’d have to bring something though, he knew that much- who was going? He had no idea and it wasn’t as though he’d be able to get everyone anything anyway considering his funds. Man, in the end everything came down to money-

“You’re thinking too much.”

Judai blinked at the sound of Yubel’s voice, head jerking up.

“It’s not good for you to overthink. You can always think another day.”

Holding back an amused snort, Judai leaned into the couch, staring at nothing as he listened to the sounds of breathing, the wind rattling on outside and the momentary flickering of the fire. Yubel was right, he supposed. Best leave the thinking to the professionals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully I'll get the chance to do all twenty four, I'll try my best to keep any that I manage at a decent length and I'm sorry for any dips in quality or whatever considering I'm not very good at that whole consistency thing.
> 
> This is like, only loosely tied in to the other fics in the 'series'. And by that I mean, pretty much not at all so there's no need to read them really unless you want to.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit!](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/) Any suggestions for what I can do for other days is extremely welcome- the more cast I can fit in the better!


	2. Lustre (Johan)

Johan was known as the ‘crystal guy’ and yeah, sure, maybe he liked gemstones just a little bit more than the average guy tended to and yeah he did generally think they were pretty to look at, but that didn’t mean he was incredibly knowledgeable about them. Which is exactly why he’s sitting by the fire, Crystal Beasts curled around him (some pushing that boundary) while he’s swaddled in a blanket reading a book on ‘fun gemstone trivia’. An exciting read to be sure.

Today he’d found himself learning about the mohs scale of hardness; a scale used by mineralogists based on their ability to scratch each other. A bit of an odd thing to be learning about come Christmas, and a bit weirder when his mind happened to wander to thinking of applying the mohs scale to the Crystal Beasts themselves. Whenever the thought popped into his mind he couldn’t help but let the corners of his lips climb upwards, staring down at Ruby Caruncle who more often than not sat snoozing on his lap, warmed by the heat of the fire. After all, who’d have thought that the smallest of the Beasts would be the one with a nine on the mohs scale?

Mind lost in musings of irony, eyes flickering between the gemstones of each of his family as the fire reflected off of them, shimmering, Johan found himself no longer paying attention to the book in his hand, as was typically the case. He was pretty sure he’d assimilated that trait from Judai- or maybe that was just him pushing the blame off on someone else. Or maybe it was both, who knows, not him that’s for sure.

Eyes peeling from the glittering gemstones, he drew his eyes around the room, looking for something- anything- to fill his mind, though he was sure that no matter what he found he’d be disinterested within a few more minutes. It was just one of those days. Craning his neck, his gaze found its way to the nearest window just across the ways.

Frost clung to the windows like it was a starfish. A starfish that was cold to the touch and had materialised out of thin air simply because the temperature dropped just a little bit lower than usual. The angle of the sun made it glitter almost, and he was sure that had the roads not been gritted that morning the tar would look just the same, though instead the frosted tips of the grass that peeked through the frost of the window was all he had to look at.

“Johan.” A voice broke him from his half-baked stupor.

He shook his head, brushing hair out of his face- wow, he really had been neglecting it- and turned to face Amethyst Cat, the source of the voice. He hummed in recognition but didn’t otherwise say anything.

“Your phone’s going off.”

There was a pause as Amethyst let Johan listen for it himself before he let out as dramatic a sigh as he could muster at that time.

“Guess that means I have to get up,” he muttered to himself despite the minimum effort it took to perform the needed action, only earning a roll of the eyes from Amethyst before laying her head back on her paws, eyes sliding shut.

Lifting Ruby as best he could out of his lap and sitting her by Amethyst who cracked an eye open at the movement, Johan finally got it within himself to stand, stretching his arms out much as he possible could as he did so.

Finding his phone was maybe a bit of an adventure in itself, but with the flip of a pillow the adventure was concluded without too much loss on his behalf other than the cleaning the contained mess he’d just created.

Clicking it on, he found himself greeted to a text. Well, it was more a series of texts but the details aren’t important. They don’t tend to be, really.

The details ended up pretty much boiling down to Judai (begrudgingly, apparently) being proxy for sending Fubuki’s message of ‘hey come to my sweet Christmas party everyone’s gonna be there’ with the addition of seeing the not-so-rare occurrence of Judai and Yubel arguing over text despite having the same body. Johan didn’t know how it worked and he didn’t pretend to; you just get to a point in your life where you decide that sometimes weird shit just happens. Said point in his life was the entirety of it.

While he did wish he could send back a quick reply, he couldn’t say he was all too sure about actually being able to go. Just because he was currently residing in Japan didn’t mean he’d be able to make his way to wherever the location of the party was and nor did it mean that he actually wanted to go.

Listen, he loved his friends a whole bunch, he really did, but he had responsibilities and he also didn’t know how he’d fare in an all-for-one among a group of folks he largely hadn’t actually seen in over a year. Some he didn’t think he’d seen since his exchange at Duel Academia even ended, even if he did occasionally keep up with them via social media.

“You’re thinking about it too much,” he told himself, shaking his head. He could always just cancel last minute and say something came up. It wasn’t a desired move considering he wasn’t someone who tended to rely on being dishonest to get around like some CEO or what have you, but it was a decent backup that would probably work. Probably.

With the impulse still there, Johan quickly typed out a message to confirm attendance and ask for location details before anyone- including himself- could tell him it was a terrible idea. He didn’t even take the time to dwell on the sent message, just letting it be sent and exist. Couldn’t delete it now so why worry? A bad philosophy in a lot of cases but it worked here so he couldn’t think of any legitimate reason not to use it.

Phone gripped in one hand, he made his way back across the room to where his family were basking in the dull light of the fire, not seeming to care or notice that it was in need of some more logs, instead just caring about the remnants of heat and the dim light it gave off even in its dying stage.

Sitting down was maybe a harder task than it should have been but he eventually managed to sit in his previous spot without disturbing the sleeping ones too drastically, letting him basque in the direct warmth of the remains of the fire like the rest of the house had taken to, though he was unsure if they could even feel it properly.

A glance outside at the setting sun told him all he needed to know about the time of day, but his general laziness stopped him from getting back up in order to draw the curtains, instead letting the lustre of the sun’s final rays beam directly into the living room, illuminating the crystals his family bore, fire dancing evermore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those who've read so far, I'm a bit surprised that people seem to be enjoying it but I hope this one's just as enjoyable even if it is a bit shorter- I didn't have as much time today as I'd have liked! 
> 
> A fun game to play: count how many times I mention fire and/or something reflecting off the Crystal Beasts' gems. I like describing fire, okay. Give me a break.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit!](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/) Any suggestions for what I can do for other days is extremely welcome- the more cast I can fit in the better!


	3. Cozy (Rei & Martin)

“You almost done?” Rei called as she skidded out of the kitchen area, two thick jackets piled on her arm.

Martin glanced back at her from where he was standing, house phone just a little away from his ear. He cracked a smile.

“One moment!” He called, putting the receiver back to his ear, muttering some words in what Rei could only assume was French seeing as she understood only a few of the more basic words.

The moment the phone was sat back down on its station, Martin only had a few moments to react before a jacket was flung straight at him, though spending two years at Duel Academia with Rei had all but prepared him for such situations, catching the projectile with only a slight fumble.

Rei herself was shrugging on a deep red winter coat while Martin had only just grasped his similar looking dark grey one.

“Hurry up you slowpoke!”

“The snow’s not going anywhere.”

“Not with that attitude it isn’t!” Rei slipped into her brown boots while Martin tried to find his wellies- they always did seem to suddenly go missing whenever he wanted to wear them.

Despite himself, Martin found himself laughing. “That doesn’t even make any sense!”

“Sure it does, now hurry up or that place it’s going is your face.”

Something told him that it’d end up there anyway, but he had the height advantage now and if there was one thing that he’d learned it was that that would be his saving grace. Rei still hadn’t gotten over the fact that he’d gotten a growth spurt after his year of absence and she hadn’t, even though he’d argued she had it just hadn’t been big enough.

Hopping into his wellies at long last, he remembered to fling a scarf and gloves at Rei before she managed to exit the door, slipping a set on himself as he went. He hadn’t been able to spend much time with Rei since they’d rounded off their last year of school, he’d be damned if he had to spend what little time he had with her- or himself- bedridden and sick.

“It’s not that cold,” came a grumble from the woman herself, though she put them on anyway so point to him, he guessed.

The snow was still falling by the time they actually got outside, though it wasn’t of much significance to either of them as their instincts individually told them to gather a weapon before the other, ending in a snowball being made and subsequently thrown before either of them had really thought about it.  
  
“You can’t hit a lady!” Rei protested as she dove to avoid another projectile.

Martin’s only response to that was to raise his brow.

“Oi! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Martin shrugged innocently. “I never said anything.”

Rei’s eyes narrowed as she flung a snowball as payback. “I liked you better when you were all quiet and meek.”

“That’s false and you know it!” The snowball was dodged, though he found himself right in the path of another snowball which hit him directly in the chest with the added bonus of a chortle from across the ways.

“Got me there.” Rei didn’t even bother to hide her smirk as she set about creating a stache of snowballs. “But maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings instead.”

Martin rolled his eyes and, when Rei was down for the brief moment it took to scoop up some of the powdery snow, hit her square in the top of the head, earning him an undignified squawk and a huff as she dropped the snowball in the making and placed her gloved hands on her head, the black of her hair now speckled white.

“Low blow,” she muttered as she grasped one of the snowballs she’d made before. Martin stared at her, making slow movements as though she were a predator. She grinned.

“Think fast.”

And think fast he did, running off to the side in order to avoid the oncoming flurry of what were essentially snow bullets.

“Too slow!” he taunted, against all the intelligence he held.

He didn’t even get the chance to see Rei’s expression as a pile of snow was flung at him- not a snowball, just a plain ol’ pile of snow. A pile big enough, apparently, to knock him off his feet.

“Get on my level!” Rei gloated, standing over his fallen form.

“Just got here,” he muttered mostly to himself, but apparently it was heard.

“Listen, I’m not that much smaller than you are you don’t have to keep bringing it up. Besides, I’m still growing!”

Martin just hummed in reply.

“I am! Just because you’re actually taller than someone for once doesn’t mean you have to go on about it.”

“Wouldn’t go on about it if you didn’t bring it up,” Martin concluded, holding a hopeful hand out.

Huffing into the collar of her jacket, Rei relented and pulled her friend up, stumbling backwards slightly as she did so.

“You’re awful,” she announced after a brief pause, voice devoid of mirth.

Martin only laughed and didn’t reply, the two abandoning their brief snowball fight as though it had never happened and they’d moved on- grown up somehow in the last five minutes of their life to an extent where it was beyond them. They both knew that if the snow remained the next day they’d end up buried under the snow anyway, any pretense of having grown up any during their half year of independence completely abandoned.

Rei’s boots plodded through the snow even though she could very easily have just walked like any normal person- Martin- would.

“What were you and Napoleon talking about anyway?” Rei asked conversationally, recalling the phone call she’d overheard but not understood.

“How many times have I told you not to call him that? It’s weird.”

“Too many, probably,” Rei responded nonchalantly. “But it’s not like he cares.”

“It’s not like he knows,” Martin countered.

“And it’ll stay that way until he stops calling me your girlfriend.” Rei’s nose scrunched up.

Martin rolled his eyes. “It really isn’t that bad… Is it?”

Rei thudded his back in what he was sure was meant to be a nice, reassuring pat. Well, he wasn’t sure that was what it was meant to be, but he knew what it was.

“Mm, not really, I guess. But if you ever do get a girlfriend I’ll have to give her the full run down. The whole talk, y’know?” A pause. “Or boyfriend, I’m not one to judge after all.”

Martin rolled his eyes. “You’re like a protective parent. It’s not like I’m part of the mafia; being involved with me isn’t going to get someone killed.”

“I dunno, dude. You’ve been in some pretty shady stuff.”

“Listen you know that wasn’t my fault.”

“Yeah cause all that cheesecake that went missing just happened to turn up in your room. Repeatedly. For three months.”

“I’m the one that made it!”

“A likely story.”

Martin cracked a smile, unable to fight it anymore, Rei following suit soon after.

“You say that as though you never had a hand in it at all.”

“I was threatened! Besides, I was just a supplier. It’s not my fault the operation was shut down because you decided it’d be a good idea to store it in the dorm’s kitchen that one time.”

“You’re the one that put my name one it. In bold red letters.”

“Shouldn’t have stolen my deodorant.”

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Martin let the situation dropped. It had been almost a year and he still hadn’t won this argument- could it even be called one? He wasn’t sure.

“Let’s go back inside,” he concluded instead. Might as well, after all, seeing as all they were doing was walking around aimlessly chatting in the freezing cold when they could very much do it in the comfort of the house.

It didn’t take much for the agreement to come that caused them to turn back.

“I just realised you completely skipped my question,” Rei announced, coming to a dead stop right in front of Martin as they reached the door, almost causing him to walk into her.

“What?”

“What was Napoleon saying?”

“Just making sure we hadn’t completely wrecked the house yet, making sure I’m okay and all that,” he sighed with only a slight grumble at the naming.

Knocking her boots on the doorframe before stepping inside and unravelling her layers- him following her actions soon after- Rei hummed in acknowledgement.

“I’m still shocked he just let us come here and stay in a cabin. All by ourselves. Y’know. Us. Actual teenagers.”

“Who he apparently thinks are dating,” Martin helpfully added, hanging his coat over a peg that already had a coat on it anyway before adding, “hot chocolate?”

“Sure- also I’m pretty sure he only says that to annoy us.”

“Well it works so he’s got that.” Martin disappeared into the kitchen to quickly make some hot chocolate with the help of some powder, milk and a microwave.

Apparently that year of leave from Duel Academia had done their relationship the world of good. Although they couldn’t quite be described as ‘thick as thieves’, they certainly were much more of a family than they were before they left.

“We have plenty of leverage on him though,” Rei called in response from the living room as she settled down, spreading herself out on the couch like a particularly selfish cat on a keyboard.

“You say that as if he wasn’t your teacher at all. Or that I didn’t tell him anything embarrassing about you.”

“See, I would be offended if not for the fact that I told him stuff about you as well.”

Martin stood in the doorway, two mugs of hot chocolate in hand, staring down at her for a moment before she reluctantly shifted her legs, though her posture continued to carry the same vibe as before as she continued to take up more space than she really needed.

“I think he’s got a bit too much blackmail material on us,” Martin concluded, handing one of the mugs to Rei who cupped it in her reddened hands with a nod of appreciation.

“Well he’s your dad, you’ve surely got some stuff on him.”

“Sure I do, but the moment I tell you I doubt I’ll be allowed back in the house for a good few months.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

Martin took a sip from his mug. “Moving on-”

“Did you actually get nervous there?” Rei couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

“What? No. Not at all. I just like the idea of having a home to go back to.”

“You can always come stay with me if he kicks you out, don’t worry so much.”

“Oh yeah? How’s the search for gigs going? Got to pay those bills somehow.”

Rei choked mid-sip, coughing before speaking again. “First of all I stay with my parents, second of all moving on.”

With a wave of his hand, Martin decided he could humour her. They were supposed to be spending the next two weeks together unless something came up. He could delve deeper later on when he didn’t have to live with her for a while afterwards.

“Did you get that text from Asuka?” he asked, the first topic springing to mind.

Rei nodded before taking a long sip. “Yeah, you think you’ll go?”

“And spend more time with you? No way.”

He dodged her nudge just in time, managing to subsequently save his drink in the process. He took a sip so it was less likely to spill in case he wasn’t quick enough next time.

“Ha ha,” she monotonously spoke, head tilting slightly. “Seriously, you think you’ll go?”

“Not sure; there’ll be a bunch of people there I don’t know.”

“I’ll introduce you to everyone then!”

“You don’t even know half the people there, I bet.”

Rei shrugged as though that was an afterthought. “I’ll probably recognise anyone I don’t know. Asuka’s told me tons of what went down before I got there.”

“I still find it really weird that you’re so close with a teacher.”

“She went to school with us, Marty. Don’t be such a stickler.”

“It’s still weird.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Not like we were ever her students anyway so what does it matter.”

“She covered at least one of our classes I’m pretty sure.”

Rei waved her hand, leaning further back into the sofa in attempts to get herself comfortable as she left her mostly empty mug on the table beside her. Martin also found himself relaxing in the warmth of the room. He was so glad he put on the heating preemptively before they went out.

“Oh yeah! That was the time I almost got a detention for calling her by her name.”

“Even though I told you to stop,” he reminded.

“Listen, never in my life will I call her ‘Miss Tenjoin’.”

“I think the entire class gathered that.”

“It’s like if you had to start calling me ‘Miss Saotome’ or I had to call you ‘Mr Kanou’. It’s weird to talk to your friend like they’re a teacher.”

“But she is a teacher. Plus, she even got Judai to do it that one time he barged in mid-class.”

“That’s because he’s secretly scared of her.”

“So are most people.”

“They should be. Pretty sure he punched a hole in the wall of blue dorm once. There’s a frame around it.”

“You say, as though you weren’t the one that put the frame on it.”

“Okay, I wasn’t but thanks. It deserves to be framed anyway. It’s a masterpiece.”

“It’s just a hole in the wall.”

“You say that cause you’ve never seen it in person, trust me; it’s majestic.”

“Uh-huh,” was all Martin could manage to say. While they hadn’t been in this exact conversation, it would honestly shock anyone how many similar conversations they’d had previously.

It didn’t take long for the conversation to peter out soon after, mugs cast off to the side for them to clean up later (if they ever got around to it) and sofa thoroughly reclined in as they enjoyed the comfortable quiet of the dim room. It wasn’t often that the two found themselves without conversation, but maybe a change of pace was good every once in a while.

Yeah, Martin decided as he sunk further into the couch, he could definitely go for this more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate how whenever I plan/want a short chapter I end up with a long one and whenever I plan/want a long chapter I end up with a short one. I have multiple tests and I spent like half an hour writing this instead, oops. 
> 
> See, one of the things I love most about writing post-canon stuff is that you can do pretty much anything you want (within reason, I suppose) because you can just have off-screen character development. Makes everything a whole lot more simple. That being said, I do love these two and I feel like they don't get enough love. Or maybe that's just me loving background/side characters too much.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)


	4. Time (Edo & Saiou)

Edo was a busy man. His weeks- months- filled to the brim with all sorts of business from interviews to duels to meeting potential sponsors; the list continued endlessly and he found himself with little down time even now as Christmas seemed fast approaching, in fact, he’d hazard to say that there was never a busier time of year.

“What are you planning on doing this Christmas?” Was an all too common question he’d been receiving recently, as if those asking didn’t know that that was what he was doing for Christmas. ‘That’, of course, being work. Endless amounts of work; though it wasn’t as if he bemoaned his situation, he was quite fine with it, in fact, with no one he necessarily wanted to spend Christmas with and with a love for his job anyway, he didn’t really care. He never did much for Christmas anyway- hadn’t since he was quite young, in fact.

Of course, last year he’d went round to Shou and Ryo’s shared place for Christmas, but that was less of a Christmas celebration and more of a celebration of Ryo getting back into the pro-dueling game than anything else. Besides, it was fun watching him get gradually more annoyed as people continued to fuss over him despite being ‘very capable, thank you very much’, to put it into his own words.

That was a one-off, he told himself more and more as the winter months dragged on, he was an adult now and he wasn’t going to let the prime of his career as a pro duelist be dragged down now, especially now when so many places were willing to book- people would want to go to duels as part of their Christmas gift, after all.

“You’re being too harsh on yourself,” Saiou told him after Edo had finished relaying his plans over tea one afternoon. “You should take the time off now; summer’s the busiest season, why not take time off now so you don’t have to now?” He phrased it as a question but Edo could tell it was meant more as advice.

“How about this,” Edo proposed, not failing to catch that slight alteration in Saiou’s expression that made it clear he thought he’d put some sense into his friend. “I don’t take off time now or during summer.”

“You’ll overwork yourself at this rate, then what will you do?” Saiou placed his teacup on the table as delicately as possible. Edo opened his mouth to speak but a raised hand made him pause for just enough time for Saiou to get another word in.

“You’ll complain to me, that’s what,” he concluded. “Besides, I know you have the possibility for plans- more relaxing ones- if you’d take them.”

“So you got the invite too?” he couldn’t hide the surprise lacing his voice. Saiou didn’t comment, as expected, but hummed in a level tone.

“It was just a formality, I don’t think Fubuki and I ever really held a proper conversation in the first place,” Edo continued on.

“And yet here we are having this discussion.”

Edo scowled. “And yet here I am, telling you again it was just a formality.”

“Perhaps,” Saiou agreed, tea in his hands once more as he broke his sentence with a sip. “Though that doesn’t mean that others won’t be happy to see you there.”

This comment merely earned a roll of the eyes.

“I’m being serious, you know,” the fortune teller continued. “If it’s Fubuki that’s throwing the party then Judai will be there. He’ll be glad to see you, I’m sure.”

“He’d be glad to see anyone,” Edo sniffed dismissively. Saiou didn’t roll his eyes, face still stoic and calm, but if you knew him for as long as Edo had you’d know that he wanted to and was likely doing it mentally.

“Manjoume will probably be there.”

“Maybe,” Edo agreed, “but also maybe not.”

“And how about Ryo then? You went out of your way last year to visit him and his brother for Christmas.”

“That’s false and also a lie-”

“Aren’t they the s-”

“-besides why would I go just because people I’ve spoken to sparingly over the past year are going?”

“Maybe because I’m your friend and you should listen to me when I say you should stop trying to limit who you speak to in favour of working?”

Edo scowled. “I’m not doing that.”

“You are,” Saiou said firmly. “You know you are and I’m just concerned you’re trying to hole yourself up. You’ll end up hurt if you don’t socialise more.”

“I socialise plenty.”

“Galas don’t count.”

“Sure they do, I talk to people thus it’s socialising.”

“You only talk to people who either sponsor you, want to sponsor you or having a good relationship with would benefit you.” Saiou hardened his gaze, clearly getting more and more sick of the roundabout way this conversation was going.  
  
Edo hardened his own gaze in retaliation; as if he could break his friend’s resolve. “Not true; I’ve talked to plenty of people at galas just because.”

“Sorry, I forgot that one time seven months ago you and Shou spoke two words to each other before it got so awkward he quite literally ran away.”

“First of all, that’s not at all what happened; second, how did you find out about that?”

Saiou shrugged, hiding a smirk as he took a sip of tea once more, eyes gleaming. “I talk to your manager sometimes, make sure you don’t put yourself into a coma when you go on tour.”

“That doesn’t tell me how you know-”

“Sometimes we exchange blackmail.”

Edo could feel his lips pull down into a frown for what had to be the millionth time. Saiou didn’t say anything and just placed what was now an empty cup on the table, watching for Edo’s next move.

“How very mature of you,” he ended up saying.

“Well, you can be very difficult to handle sometimes.”

“Maybe if you didn’t act like my parent we wouldn’t have this problem.”

“I’m not acting like a parent,” Saiou’s voice gained a slight edge to it that you’d miss if you weren’t attentive enough before it softened just a fraction, “I’m just trying to look out for you. You understand that, right?”

Running a hand down his face with a sigh, Edo grimaced. He did get it- part of him did, anyway- but it was still overbearing and annoying.

The two sat in silence, Saiou looking at him awaiting a response while Edo wondered what it was he could possibly say that didn’t make him sound like a stubborn teenager.

Slowly and carefully, he strung out his thoughts. “I’m an adult now,” he began. “And I appreciate it but you don’t have to parent me.”

“I know I just said it but I’m really not trying to, I’m just trying to be a good friend and look out for you.”

“How about this then; we compromise.” Saiou didn’t make any move to speak so Edo took that as a sign to continue.

“I go to the party and don’t schedule any more events than I already have but only if you come with me to the party.”

Saiou looked vaguely shocked.

“You’re a huge hypocrite- don’t think I haven’t noticed. The only people you talk to are me, your sister and apparently my manager. Going to a social event will do you some good, too.” His nose crinkled at the mention of him talking to his manager.

“I would,” Saiou began, “but I didn’t get an invite.”

Now it was Edo’s turn to look shocked. “But you’re the one that brought it up; how did you know about it if you didn’t get the invite?”

“I told you, I talk with your manager.”

Edo paused for a moment, eyes narrowing for a moment as he deliberated over this. Saiou had that way of knowing stuff he really shouldn’t know even despite claiming not to have any of the powers he once did and he didn’t think his manager knew about it- though that could very well be false.

Either way though, this could be a key moment in getting Saiou to properly socialise for the first time in what was most likely years even if it did come at his expense. He’d really set himself up for a lose:lose situation here, huh?

“I’m sure they won’t mind if you come as my plus one,” he finally found himself saying.

Saiou didn’t seem so sure, his composure barely being held and clearly very uncomfortable with the idea of not only being around so many people at once but so many people he’d met during such a terrible stage in his life.

“Nothing bad will happen,” he found himself insisting, now in what had been Saiou’s position just moments before. “Not when I’m there.”

Saiou made a very deliberate and very long pause to think about it, conflict clear within his eyes as he stared into the empty teacup on the table in front of him.

“You’ll keep your side of the bargain if I go?”

“I’m not one for breaking my word.”

A deep breath. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt any then.”

Edo finally allowed himself to smile as the tension from the conversation seemed to drop considerably if not completely. Maybe now wouldn’t be the best time to mention that there hadn’t been a mention of a plus one on the invite- well, they do say that what they don’t know won’t hurt them, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I regret not writing more GX crack cause I so badly want to put the phrase 'Saiou's a punk ass bitch who don't know shit' into Edo's dialogue but alas, I'm bound by the constraints of society. That doesn't make sense you say? Well too bad. 
> 
> Not sure how I feel about this one, I wasn't originally going to have Saiou show up at all considering everything, but I guess I just couldn't help myself in the end. Because I wasn't going to have Saiou it was just going to be like eight hundred words of Edo complaining all 'woe is me' about being busy to himself but then I couldn't be bothered and it became too many words of Edo complaining to someone else instead! I like writing dialogue, in case you can't tell at this stage. Especially petty arguments- expect more of those.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	5. Banter (Asuka & Judai)

“You know you don’t have to stay here the entire time, right? You can head off to the mainland before me,” Asuka spoke as she gathered papers from her desk, placing them into her bag before glancing up at Judai who was making his way down from the top of the lecture hall.

“I’d end up wandering off somewhere if I left,” was his response, one that drew back the memory of a year back when Shou had relayed a story of that exact thing happening.

“You sure you’ll be okay hanging around here? There’s still a few more days ‘til we break for winter and I know you don’t come here often for a reason.”

Judai humphed and waved his hand as he reached the bottom of the stairs, the two meeting each other halfway before walking towards the door. “I’m fine, all good; no need to worry about me.”

“Now that just makes me worry more.”

Squawking indignantly while a response died on the tip of his tongue, Judai glared half-heartedly at the air before sagging and soon after zipping the coat he’d worn throughout the entire class up, inadvertently reminding Asuka to put her layers on as well.

“Guessing Yubel said something?” she guessed as she wound a dark red scarf around her neck.

Judai nodded. “Yeah; so did the Professor. They’re teaming up on me.”

“I’m sure it can only be because you deserve it.”

“Come on! You should be on my side here, it’s unfair if it’s two against one.”

“Three against one, you mean.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

“See, this is why they should make maths more important if you can graduate here and not be able to do simple equations.” This earned her a huff.

“So what exactly was it that they said anyway?”

It was a bit difficult to have a straightforward conversation with Judai- it was hard enough beforehand, actually- considering he was always with Yubel who had a penchant for making teasing remarks and more often than not also had the disembodied spirit of their old alchemy teacher (a phrase she found even more weird as she got older) making the odd remark, both of whom she conveniently couldn’t see or hear.

“They were just agreeing with you. Saying I’m a danger to myself etcetera etcetera.”  
  
“How you managed to rope someone so responsible I’ll never guess.”

“I resent that! I’m plenty charming.”

Asuka paused for a moment, everything she knew about Judai running through her mind in a flash from when she first met him up to when she’d mistakenly thought she had a crush on him to now.

“Well, you certainly are that,” she concluded.

Judai frowned and stuffed his reddening hands into his pockets. “I feel like I was just insulted but I don’t know how, exactly.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure Yubel will tell you if you ask nicely enough.” Asuka gave her friend’s back a hearty pat before quickening her pace just enough to make Judai have to jog to catch up having faltered momentarily in order to deliberate over the phrase.

“What I did to deserve such disrespect?”

Silence.

“Okay that was a false accusation!” Judai announced, folding his arms as his lips formed a pout.

Asuka’s own lips twitched upwards ever so slightly as she huffed inwards, nose burying into her scarf as she tried to mask her amusement.

“Let me guess, the shrimp incident?”

A snap of the fingers and Judai’s head had whipped round to face her. “You can attest for me, you were there! You were the one that said it wasn’t me!”

Asuka hummed placidly. “Maybe I was lying so everyone would shut up?”

Brown eyes narrowed and lips were turned down into a dramaticised scowl, arms folding- Asuka couldn’t help but draw on the similarities between her friend and the expressions she often saw when one of her students tried to form an off-the-cuff excuse as to why they hadn’t handed in their homework or weren’t paying attention.

“What’s so funny?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Asuka waved herself out of her mind to reply to Judai who’d turned his expression more to that of curiosity than faux annoyance. “Nothing, nothing. Just thinking.”

“Dangerous.”

“You’re one to speak considering it was just a few hours ago that you got so caught up in your thoughts you almost fell down the stairs.”

“I wasn’t ‘caught in my thoughts’ I was talking to Yubel!”

Asuka raised her brow and Judai relented after only a few seconds, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Okay, I was thinking about dinner, but! Not entirely my fault, one of your students tripped me up!”

“Which is why she got a detention-”

“I’ve to tell you that that’s apparently not punishment enough.”

“Yes, you told me that then as well, but no matter my thoughts on the matter I can’t just let Yubel torture a sixteen year old child.”

“They wouldn’t!”

“They would if we let them,” Asuka could sense this conversation going south way too quickly if they continued on this line of thought. “Besides, I did tell you that you should come sit by me before class even started just in case.”

“I’m good, thanks. I don’t want to be known as ‘Miss Tenjoin’s friend’ for the entirety of my stay here.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble but you already are.” At least they were better than the rumours that spread the first year Judai came to the island to visit. Of course, he was known as other things, but that wasn’t relevant now.

“Even once you’re not a student your prestige continues to follow you everywhere, guess I’ll never get out of your shadow now.”

Asuka rolled her eyes. “Fancy word for you- ‘prestige’- who taught you that one?”

“Oh ha, ha,” Judai replied lamely, though it was all in good humour in the end. “But it was Misawa.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” he said, seemingly about to leave it at that without elaborating before Asuka nudged him.

“Well I decided to see how he was doing since he hadn’t checked in in, like, a year. Things are going well apparently; can’t make the party, as if that was an option, but he did have some good news.”

“You can’t just keep leaving me on cliffhangers- you’re awful.”

“Thanks, I try,” Judai responded coupled with a large, cheeky grin.

“Well?” Asuka further prodded. Man, it was like trying to teach a monkey to duel.

“Oh, right. Yeah so apparently they’re expecting?”

Silence rang throughout the frosty outdoors and Asuka halted with a vacant expression and it took Judai a moment to realise she was no longer walking, turning to face her as if he hadn’t realised what a bombshell he’d just dropped on her.

“Uh,” was his intelligent reply as he shared a look with the air next to him before his attention turned back to the issue that was his apparently frozen friend. “You okay?”

“ _What_?” she hissed, tone low and she was clearly starting to freak out. “You can’t just drop that! I- They- _What_?”

How did that even work? She supposed that maybe since the- you know what? Not her business, she was just going to leave them to it. Write them a card or something of congratulations- something- but she wasn’t going to dwell on it. Just a normal (in a loose sense of the term) couple taking the leap to have a child.

“Wow, the Ice Queen’s losing her cool- pun not intended- this is news for sure.”

“Not the time! You can’t just say that and not expect a reaction!”

“Wha- oh. Right, sorry.”

“One day you’ll give me a heart attack and you won’t even notice.”

There was a moment in which Judai’s head tilted as though he were actually considering it, earning him a levelled look from Asuka which made him surrender.

“I would never. But anyway, that’s a thing that’s happening I guess.”

“I guess,” Asuka echoed disbelievingly, shaking her head. “I can’t believe this is my life.”

She maybe should’ve had this epiphany a lot earlier in her life considering… everything, but she didn’t and now here she was standing outside the blue dorm with a nigh existential crisis on her hands.

“Sorry?” Judai tried then flinched to the right as though he was about to be hit.

Sighing, Asuka just shook her head again, running a hand down her face before she smiled again.

“It’s fine, just sounds a bit fake. I can’t even imagine what life unlike this would be like at this point.”

“Well that’s good cause we’re here to stay!”

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” The words were spoken just as they reached the door to Asuka’s room.

Unlocking the door, Asuka did the gentlemanly thing to do and let Judai in first before heading in herself, earning herself a curtsy and a contrasting tip of the hat before she entered and closed the door behind herself.

She really did mean it; she wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me way too long to write this one for what it was? But I dunno, it turned out pretty decent I'd say, despite it being mostly dialogue. I also managed to sneak a brief Misawa and Tanya mention in there so that's always a plus. Anyway, it was fun to write from Asuka's point of view since she can't see/hear Daitokuji or Yubel which means she just has to sort of put up with anything Judai says that isn't in context. I also decided to go back to put the characters featured in each chapter's title just in case someone wanted to only see certain characters.
> 
> I probably won't have one up tomorrow since I have a Christmas concert to attend and won't get home til late but if it doesn't go up, I'll try and get a double for Friday if I can manage. In other news- my Christmas tree went up and I remembered exactly why I never helped last year. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	6. Decks and Sweaters (Judai & Yubel & Burstinatrix)

Yubel didn’t much interact with the rest of Judai’s deck. Not out of some sense of misguided spite or anything even remotely along those lines, no, it was more of a sense of displacement. They didn’t belong. They missed their chance to properly talk to them when they first met- really though, could you blame them with all that had just happened and was happening- and then they just couldn’t bring themself to do so once things calmed down and they got over some of their most pressing issues.

Sometimes they rationalised the situation to themself to try and ease the guilt for not communicating with the friends Judai literally carried around with him more as not having to. After all, most of Judai’s other friends didn’t talk to them- couldn’t, really- but it continued to gnaw at them even so.

“You’ve talked to Winged Kuriboh before,” Judai reminded them as his attention was drawn from channel surfing. “You’re practically already there!”

Yubel found themself frowning. “I don’t think you know what the word ‘practically’ means.”

Rolling his eyes, Judai switched off the television to give his partner the utmost of his attention, turning so he was sitting the exact opposite way that one should sit in a chair. He propped his elbow on the back of the chair, head soon placed in his hand.

“We’ve had this conversation before. A lot before. Too many times before-”

“I get it.”

“I’ve even spoken to them about it! They even offered to approach you first instead; no matter when you finally get around to it, you’ll be accepted, guaranteed.”

Yubel shifted uncomfortably, looking very out of their depth. “That’s not the point. I’ve spoken to them before just not- not properly.”

“I know, you’re not very good at making conversation.”

“Oh shut it,” they replied, though their tone held no mirth within it.

“You could always talk to them in smaller groups, maybe one at a time?”

Pausing, Yubel deliberated over the idea. It wasn’t that they’d never thought of it, but whenever the idea of talking with Judai’s deck it always came into their mind as an ‘all or nothing’ kind of thing.

“It’s not like you’ll be alone when you’re around them, I’ll be there. The Professor will be there.”

“If you really wanted I could take the effort to make them solid, then it’s me, the Professor and Asuka when she comes back.”

The idea was dismissed though with a shake of the head and a sigh.

“You don’t need to put that much thought into it; you’re too good for me sometimes.”

“For you? Never.”

“That’s possibly the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

That gave Judai a moment of pause. Was it? “No it isn’t.”

“Perhaps, but it’s definitely up there.”

“How about we just rip off the plaster?” Judai asked, setting the conversation back on topic.

“What?”

“Y’know, just go for it? Stop overthinking about it and throw all caution out the window.”

“Well, you are good at that.”

“I’d be offended if I didn’t already know it.”

The two stared in relative silence for a few moments, Judai at Yubel and Yubel at pretty much anything else.

“Okay,” they finally announced, arms crossed. “Let’s just- just do it?”

“Really?” Judai perked up, arm slamming down on the back of the couch as he let his neck finally to its job; eyes sparkling.

“Yeah.” Resisting the urge to scratch at their neck, Yubel’s arms pressed more firmly into their chest. “You’re rubbing off on me.”

“The horror.”

Yubel shrugged. “It’s not all that bad, sometimes.”

“Sometimes,” Judai muttered under his breath, seeming as though he’d be offended if it were almost anyone else.

“We’ll start with one and see how it goes?” At Yubel’s affirmative nod, Judai headed off to grab his deck from his temporary accomodations and see if he could figure out who’d be the most suitable for a trial meeting of sorts.

The minute lasted an hour and Yubel waited with bated breath for Judai to return with whoever he’d end up deeming fit.

Judai returned with an excited grin, excitement radiating from him as he rushed from the doorway and swiftly moved off to the right, allowing Yubel to catch a quick glimpse of a dark red.

“Introducing,” he paused for dramatic effect. You could almost hear the drumroll. “Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!”

Seemingly playing along with the game, the figure of Burstinatrix came through the door frame, arms crossed with a vaguely amused look upon her face.

Yubel sort of stared, first at Burstinatrix and then at Judai in a complete loss of what to do next.

“Wow this got awkward real quick,” was all he said, earning him a look that was an odd mix between pleading and annoyance from Yubel.

Hands held up in mock surrender, Judai beckoned Yubel closer, closing the gap marginally though Yubel made sure to stick close to Judai.

“I never really struck you as the shy type.” Burstinatrix was the first to break the silence between the two, hoping to keep the tone of the budding conversation upbeat.

“I- uh- I’m not,” Yubel eloquently put. “Just not used to talking to anyone who isn’t dead or Judai.” There was a pause as Yubel thought. “Or a cat.”

The corner of Burstinatrix’s lips twitched upwards in amusement, feeling more as though she was talking to a kid and not a duel spirit who’d been alive- in a certain manner of speaking- countless years.

“I like to think I’m a better conversation partner than a cat.”

“I’m not sure, Pharaoh’s rather talkative once he gets into it.” Feeling a surge of confidence, Yubel went for a bit more of a joke. Ripping off the plaster and all that.

“I’m sure he is, but one can only get so much from one word.”

“That’s fair, I suppose,” Yubel conceded. Going good so far, even if they were sticking with a safe topic for now by the way it seemed.

“You should come and talk to us more often,” Burstinatrix added thoughtfully, catching Yubel off guard with the sudden change.

“I would but-”

“It doesn’t have to be now, but maybe another time. When you’re more comfortable; it’ll be nice to have someone on my side.”

They weren’t really sure what her ‘side’ was, to be perfectly honest and that confusion seemed to show on their face.

“The others are a little childish,” she elaborated. “I think it’s largely a guy thing, plus Card Ejector’s young. Maybe they picked it up from Judai, actually.”

The last statement was made more thoughtfully, tacked on as a mere afterthought. Even so, for a moment Yubel felt themself bristle before realising it was a joke.

“I heard that!” Judai called over from where he’d taken back to his previous seat, no longer channel surfing and now doing something on his phone, though he didn’t look up.

Burstinatrix shrugged. “You were supposed to!”

Musing over it for a moment Yubel tacked on their own side of the matter, “Well, you can be rather immature when you want to be.”

“Key word there: when I want to be.”

“Words,” the red clad duel spirit corrected, earning a muttered ‘oh my god’ as Judai decided to remove himself from the conversation before he managed to dig himself into a hole.

Burstinatrix turned back to Yubel who looked vaguely amused even if they hadn’t notice their expression had changed.

“Sometimes I worry,” Yubel suddenly admitted, earning a rather shocked look from the other, though whether it was at the sudden shift in topic again or the sudden admission to whatever it was going to be about said they weren’t sure.

Burstinatrix looked at them patiently yet expectantly.

“Just about him; whether it’s safe for a human to do all that he does and interact so much with duel spirits and so little with humans- his own kind.”

“He’s gotten better.”

“Yes, but he could stand to spend a day just with humans. Though I guess with me here that’s a bit impossible.”

“You were human once, what’s the difference?”

Recoiling slightly, they gained a guarded expression as their past was brought up.

“Judai tells us about you,” she quickly tried to remedy. “Nothing specific, but he likes to talk. Sometimes he doesn’t watch what he’s saying.”

“It’s fine, I don’t really mind. But the difference is that I’m not human now, to answer the question.”

Burstinatrix restrained the urge to roll her eyes. Of course that was the excuse. One that maybe makes sense in the mind of the one saying it but makes absolutely no sense to anyone else.

“It’s a good thing you’re around, don’t forget that,” she instead replied. “It’s good that Judai’s got a regular travelling partner with all he gets up to.”

“Well, I suppose there’s that.”

“If you’re able to persuade Yubel to stop getting on at themself then maybe you’ll do better than me at convincing them to join me-” Judai popped back into conversation just as Yubel could feel it dying.

“I already told you it’s not happening!”

“Oh?” Burstinatrix asked, curious.

“I asked them to join me at Fubuki’s Christmas party- you know the one?”

She nodded, after all, Judai had only went on about this a million times in the past few days, though she was surprised to hear that there was something that combined two of his most recent favourite topics that she hadn’t heard him talk about before. “I vaguely remember you mentioning it.”

Yubel suppressed a snort of amusement, recognising that sarcasm anywhere.

“Right, well, I thought ‘hey! All my friends are going to be there so why not just let them meet Yubel properly- all of them, all at once’.”

“How-”

“I was getting to that part. So I suggested it to Yubel and they just said that they’d be there anyway, completely missing the entire point of suggesting it in the first place.”

The female duel spirit turned to face Yubel once more for a brief moment before looking away, realisation dawning. “I see.”

“I mean, who’d even notice?”

“Everyone,” Yubel interjected. “Quite literally. I don’t know if you noticed but I don’t quite pass for human anymore.”

“Pff.” Judai waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve already met some of them properly, what’s a few more?”

“You mean ‘what’s a whole bunch more’ and are you completely forgetting the fact that the first time you did that Shou very nearly had a panic attack?”

“He was fine after that, and the second time.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Besides, anyone who’s there that hasn’t met you properly probably hasn’t ever even seen you in the first place.”

Yubel resisted the urge to run their hand down their face, exasperated.

“That’s not the point either. It isn’t halloween, they’re going to notice.”

“They’ve seen weirder stuff.”

“It’s true,” Burstinatrix added in. Being there for the first two years of Judai’s school life meant she’d seen the same stuff after all.

Frowning, all Yubel could do was sigh.

“Look, I won’t force you but I really think it’d do you good!”

“I think you should do it too.”

Casting a grateful look towards Burstinatrix, Judai looked expectantly at Yubel who continued to look apprehensive.

“You’d be solid so if it made you feel better I bet Asuka has some clothes you could borrow.”

“I don’t know if you noticed but I’m a lot taller than she is.”

“So you’re saying you’ll come? Great!”

“How did you get that from this conversation?”

“Well you didn’t say you wouldn’t come, only that Asuka wouldn’t have any clothes that’d fit you. Besides, we can always just buy you something.”

“Judai you don’t have any money.”

Judai shrugged as if that didn’t matter. “Okay, how about you borrow some of Fubuki’s clothes?”

“I don’t-”

“Great!”

Burstinatrix, who remained silent during the exchange, looked vaguely like she was watching an amusing TV show instead of Yubel’s eternal suffering.

Before Yubel could say anything, Judai went off to find Fubuki’s room. Ever since they’d arrived at the mainland, the three of them- that’d be Yubel, Judai and Asuka- had taken residence in Fubuki’s flat though they hadn’t really a clue as to where he’d gotten to. Asuka presumed that he’d either wandered off somewhere or was staying at Ryo and Shou’s place.

“Either way,” they recalled her saying with a sort of fond exasperation they were somewhat familiar with, “it means he’s out of our hair for a while.”

All in all, she seemed rather unconcerned that her brother had just up and vanished without telling her, but they supposed that if she wasn’t concerned then they needn’t dwell on it either.

As Judai returned from what Yubel supposed must have been Fubuki’s room, he held draped over his arm a woolen jumper on top of a few other clothing items, almost all of which looked particularly garish, making Yubel cast a suffering glance towards the other duel spirit in the room who didn’t look at all remorseful at supporting this awful idea.

“Okay! Let’s get started! Burstinatrix, you can judge!” Judai announced, dumping the collection of shirts on the nearest surface.

“Will do,” came the amused reply.

“Ready?” Judai asked, readying himself to solidify Yubel. He’d gotten a lot more proficient after a lot of practicing, but that didn’t really ease the worry that stemmed from the idea of him doing it for longer periods of time.

“As I’ll ever be,” Yubel replied flatly before they promptly felt their mismatched feet settle on the ground, the sensation rising up throughout their entire body and causing a shiver down their spine, very much unused to the feeling of anything that was purely physical.

“First thing’s first.” Judai pulled out a short sleeved red and black checked shirt that, upon further inspection of the pile, seemed to be the least ridiculous thing Fubuki owned. It earned a hesitant look even so.

Yubel just sort of stared at it for a moment before very gingerly picking it out of Judai’s grasp and into their clawed hands. Looking at it for yet another moment, they looked at Judai.

“Oh, right.” He finally picked up on the issue at hand, taking it back and helping Yubel into it as they clenched their claws into the palms of their hand to avoid damaging the cloth. This attempt was proved futile though as, while the first spike on their elbow managed to get past with only snagging the cloth, the much larger and more unavoidable spikes on their shoulders wouldn’t allow for the cloth to settle unless they pierced through it.

“Judai-”

And then Judai promptly let the spikes do just that.

“I just told you you don’t have any money! How are we supposed to fix this?”

“It’s fine,” he seemed none the wiser to the situation, brushing it off completely much to Yubel’s displeasure.

“‘Fine’-”

“It’s an old shirt, he won’t mind.”

“And you know this how?” Suspicion was raised very immediately.

“I sorta maybe had this planned out and asked Asuka?”

Yubel raised their chin, stared silently for a few seconds, then looked back at Judai. “Of course you did.”

“Hey, can’t say I don’t plan ahead anymore.”

“You still don’t- not for things that matter, anyway.”

“That’s completely not true!”

“I’m on Yubel’s side for this one,” Burstinatrix added in which Yubel was grateful for.

“Can we stop laying into me for maybe one minute?” Judai huffed and then spoke over the two as they opened their mouths. “So what do you think, judge?”

As Burstinatrix looked over the uncomfortable-looking spirit in front of her, Judai took the time to button up the shirt since Yubel couldn’t- and likely wouldn’t even if they could- do it themself.

“It suits you,” she said directly to the one in question. Yubel wondered if it was because there was red on it that she liked it, though kept the musing to themself.

“Right?” Judai grinned, glad that this first choice had been an apparent hit with the crowd of one.

“Can it come off now?”

“Wow, don’t get too attached.” Though Judai helped take it off anyway, proving that taking it off was much harder than getting it on ever could be.

The next few shirts proved to be pretty similar in experience, though some of them Yubel wouldn’t even wear to humour their partner they were that bad. Judai and Burstinatrix seemed a bit disappointed by this, seemingly hoping to see them wearing that downright awful hawaiian shirt despite it being winter in the first place and, oh, did anyone mention that it was completely horrendous? Because no amount of negative epithets would fully convey how awful it was.

“Last one, promise. One thing though; this one you have to wear.”

Yubel looked at where Judai was standing with back turned to them in utmost suspicion.

“Okay?” their cautious voice conveyed very clearly that they were very unsure about the statement even as they agreed to the conditions.

Turns out they should trust their gut instinct more as Judai turned around to reveal that he was holding one of those awful Christmas jumpers that they started putting out around this time of year. It looked relatively new as well so Yubel had their suspicions as to the reality of how Judai came across this- not that he was likely to share.

Okay, to be fair, it wasn’t as bad as a lot of the ones Judai had pointed out to them before. It’s just that the jumper was green and had a wonky looking reindeer on the front with a large red pom-pom that looked like it was about to fall off at any time for its nose.

“Why do you hate me?” Yubel asked monotonously as they stared at it.

“I don’t! This is how I show my love.”

“Through awful jumpers?”

Judai nodded fervently and his partner just sighed.

“Let’s get this over with then.”

It was the only jumper in the bunch and as such it took a bit more problem solving for Yubel to get it on since the material would be extremely weak under their claws. In the end though they managed to get the shirt over their head and onto their torso, as unpleasant as the entire process was.

Yubel scowled as they used their arm to let free the hair that was trapped in the jumper while Judai and Burstinatrix just looked on silently, completely awestruck. Yubel crossed their arms then promptly uncrossed them, unused to the texture of the wool- or any texture really- and just ended up standing there awkwardly, waiting for the two onlookers to finally say something.

Slowly and surely though, Judai blinked, gaping mouth closing as he fought the urge to laugh and failing spectacularly.

“Thanks,” Was all Yubel said to that particular reaction before they noticed the rising phone in Judai’s hand. “Don’t you dare.”

“Too late,” he said as he snapped a picture.

“Give me your phone.”

“No!”

“Give it to me.”

“No! You’ll break it!”

“Don’t break his phone,” Burstinatrix requested, even if she could understand why they’d want to do so.

“I won’t,” Yubel’s voice was deceptively calm and honest as a clawed hand was outstretched. “You need it and we don’t have the money to replace it.”

Judai looked at them suspiciously, his body half turned away with his phone held protectively against his chest.

“I’ll just delete the picture, that’s all.”

“But I need it!”

“Oh?”

“It’s true! It’s very important that I have it for… reasons.”

“Such as?”

“Well I’ve been needing a new background.”

“No!”

Apparently the pure unbridled fear and desperation that Yubel felt at that moment was so funny that Burstinatrix lost the higher level she was on as she tumbled down it, leaving her doubled over in laughter.

And that’s how Asuka came home to find Yubel chasing Judai around the house with an awful jumper on, both yelling, as an unseen duel spirit stood laughing in the doorway. Well, at least Judai got a new background out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a slow start but we got there! Sorry for not posting yesterday. I was going to have two different chapters today but ended up just combining the two instead since I couldn't be bothered taking the time to write two chapters even though it would've been the same amount of work in the end- it worked out fine though and this ended up being the longest chapter I've written so far, clocking in at just a bit over 3300 words. 
> 
> I used the English names for the cards cause they're the ones I'm most familiar with so sorry for the weird disconnect in me using the Japanese character names and English card names, hopefully it's not too jarring!
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	7. Elegant (Fubuki & Yusuke)

During his youth, Fubuki danced alone. He’d danced up and down the vast and empty halls of the house he shared with his sister and supposedly his parents, even if he barely saw them. Sometimes his sister would join him and they'd dance for each other, other times he’d dance down the streets and into the park and on the odd occasion he’d dance in the ballroom for an audience where he’d see his parents and he’d instead act.

He’d act as a much more content child than he was, he’d put on airs and make his sister laugh by putting on a mask of confidence even if she’d slowly mature out of it; he never did. It became a part of him instead. Sometimes, he’d catch Asuka with an amused glint in her eyes even as serious as she’d grown to be and he’d find his grin grow genuine.

Sometimes, Fubuki would sit in his flat late at night and think to himself, smile sombre and subdued in the way he’d sworn never to be seen like. He’d think of how he’d lived his life and how he had no idea what he was doing with himself even as his younger sister got on with her life and Ryo got on with his recovery and got around to creating the circuit he said he would.

Sometimes he’d look at what he left behind at the place he’d called home but had never felt like one. He was never close to his parents, but he was their eldest and for all intents and purposes he was likely to have been the one who’d take the riches they owned had he not very purposefully distanced himself from them as soon as he got the chance.

He hadn’t talked to his parents since he first joined Duel Academia. Even when he went missing there hadn’t been a trace of them, and when he returned it was a similar affair. He hadn’t even gotten a phone call; just a letter that was likely written by one of their staff that very blandly announced that they were glad he was okay. It wasn’t like he could say he expected much else.

Perhaps what annoyed him most was when Asuka went missing only to promptly return. She got perhaps worse treatment despite being the clear favourite of the two siblings which made his feelings for his ever estranged parents deteriorate more.

She’d never purposely set herself apart from the family. She never wanted to rely on their riches, that much was true, but she never did much to distance herself except for follow in his footsteps in joining Duel Academia.

It wasn’t until the day he’d expressed his concerns over the matter that he found out the truth: Asuka had very publicly denounced the family after they refused to do anything about his disappearance all that time ago.

Part of him wanted to be proud of his sister- most of him wanted to be proud of his sister. No, he was proud of her. Very much so. But that lingering feeling that if not for him she would still be in the good graces of the parents he never got the chance to know haunted him for long after.

He remembered that strange day he sat talking with Yusuke in a cafe like it was yesterday instead of a week ago.

“What about your parents?” he’d asked, stunning Fubuki to halt the sentence he was in the middle of.

Fubuki never brought up parents or family aside from Asuka, partially not wanting to stir up the memories that had brought Yusuke to that dark place he’d been in that caused him to summon Nightshroud and partially for his own benefit. It was an arrangement that worked well considering their stances on the subject matter, even if Yusuke had seemed to have abandoned his past morals long ago now.

“What about them?” he replied with a question of his own, wary of what kind of alley this conversation had taken a sharp turn down.

“You don’t talk about them.” Yusuke’s tone was light as he folded his hands to hold his chin and his eyes betrayed nothing despite the topic.

“There isn’t much to talk about.” Everything was kept short and clipped and Fubuki was very much aware that he was acting very unlike who he’d become over the years, shoulders tensing.

“That so.”

The conversation seemed to revert back to normal from there, but it made him wonder why the topic had been brought up in the first place. It’d been maybe about five years since he’d last heard from them regarding himself; three since he’d last heard of Asuka getting any news from them. At this stage hearing anything from them would be much more unusual than not.

A few days later, he found himself talking with Yusuke again only to have the topic breached again.

“I thought family wasn’t your thing,” was what he’d said, wanting to get to the bottom of this situation.

Yusuke shrugged seemingly calm, but he was good at keeping up a facade. Maybe that’s why they’d found it much easier to mend their severed bond than many others had.

“They’re still alive, but you never speak of them.”

Which struck Fubuki as an odd thing to say. Maybe it didn’t seem as such on the surface; Yusuke’s parents’ death had led to him having severe issues, so perhaps he was just curious as to why someone wouldn’t talk about what they had that he didn’t. But Fubuki didn’t have them. They were never a part of his life and he disowned them as soon as he was able to, as was the natural course of events.

“I don’t have parents,” he’d said. “Not as far as I’m concerned.”

An eyebrow was raised. He was hiding it well, but Fubuki was well versed in masking one’s emotions- he’d done it for years, after all- and could feel the curiosity radiating off of his friend.

Maybe not curiosity. Not in such an innocent way. It was slightly morbid, he could tell. It came less from a point of just wanting to understand for the sake of knowing, nor from an attempt to help what didn’t need helping.

“Why’s that?”

Fubuki blinked.

“Be straight with me and tell me why you want to know and maybe I’ll give you an answer.” He kept his own tone light though it was clear to the both of them that they wanted something from the other that they’d have to sacrifice something for.

“I was just curious,” he said honestly, then paused, thinking over his next words. His mouth opened for a moment then closed as he chose his words. “About how you could just leave them like that.”

“You make it sound as though I’m at fault.”

“Aren’t you?”

Part of Fubuki was completely done with this conversation even if it had only just started.

“I never saw them much when I was younger. I could probably count the times I talked with them on one hand.”

Yusuke blinked before nodding slowly, as though he finally got it, clasping his hands on his lap.

“A mutual abandonment,” he’d whispered to himself and, although he was quiet, he wasn’t quiet enough considering that he was heard.

“Why?”

“Hm?” Yusuke snapped back into reality as he seemed momentarily lost in a maze.

“Why did you want to know?”

He was silent for a moment before his expression was, for once, crystal clear. Hesitation and guilt. Fubuki just about softened and he just waited, deep brown eyes softening just that bit as though to calm the other down; make him feel more comfortable.

“I was… worried.” He seemed unsure of his choice of words, but didn’t make a move to correct them.

“It’s been a while now, but the idea of everyone leaving’s still there.”

For maybe not the first time ever, but certainly the first time in a while, Fubuki found himself at a loss for what to say. He’d had a suspicion that this was what was eating at him but that didn’t make the unmasked admission any more jarring.

“I don’t believe in it,” he tried to amend, “but still it’s there.”

Eyes downcast, Fubuki thought of what he could possibly say to help in any way shape or form.

“Well,” he began, reclining back into his chair as he tried to wing it. “I don’t know if I’m the best person to talk to about it. But I’m not going to leave you, and I doubt Ryo will even if he’s busier than before. You don’t talk to her much, but Asuka asks about you from time to time.”

Although it was out of Fubuki’s line of sight, Yusuke’s clasped hands only tightened.

“But if you can abandon family, what’s to say you won’t abandon someone less?”

“They weren’t- aren’t- my family. Asuka’s my family, but that’s about it. You mean much more to me than they ever could.”

Yusuke still looked unsure, and Fubuki wondered if he’d said the right thing, opening his mouth before he was beaten to it.

“Alright,” came the breathy reply. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

It maybe wasn’t much of a ways to settle the doubt plaguing the troubled man’s life but it seemed to do a little and it would always be that a little is better than nothing. That a little can save someone.

Fubuki danced when he was a child, through halls and rooms. He didn’t live in that house any longer, all but a vague memory, but sometimes he’d still dance in the empty apartment where he lived alone, hand on a chair for balance for there was no other support he could bear.

New, exciting and never alone- with Yusuke he'd learn to dance a duet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what the fuck happened here. Why did I put some weird metaphor about dancing? I have no clue, don't ask me. I do find the idea of Yusuke quite literally dancing sort of funny though, don't you? 
> 
> I had no idea where I was going with this as I wrote and then at some point it turned into somehow the most depressing of the chapters so far. Funny that it happens to be Fubuki's chapter as well. 
> 
> I don't know if anyone will get what I'm trying to convey with the ending cause I can't think of the proper words for it? But I'm sure someone will understand my roundabout way of putting it. It almost seems sort of romantic which isn't what I was going for but if you want to interpret it like that I'm not stopping anyone.
> 
> Anyway this is very tonally different from the rest of the works in this and it shows; it's a bit all over the place, but it was fun to write anyway which I guess is all I can ask for. When I think about it, it's maybe the most like the other installments in this 'series' in terms of it just being two characters chilling and coming clean about having very clear issues. 
> 
> Next time: hopefully something a bit more festive. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	8. Infinite (Misawa & Tanya)

As out of character as it may have been, Misawa hadn’t thought much about staying behind in the Dark Dimension with Tanya when the decision was first made. Whether the decision was made purely due to his reunion with his love was irrelevant at this stage, though he did sometimes wonder if that was the case.

It wasn’t like it was impossible for him to get back home; he was sure that if he managed to make the interdimensional communication device then he’d surely find a way to make an interdimensional transporter. Not that he could ever need to.

See, he’d already found his place even if it was a whole dimension away. A place where he felt appreciated. Maybe it was a bit selfish of him to think of it as that, to think of that as his reason not to go back home to where his family and friends were, to where a whole life was waiting for him. But he had those things here now.

He and Tanya were starting their own family, he had new friends, and the towns and villages that the two journeyed to were healing nicely after the destruction they’d undergone. Maybe one day the two would settle down with a place of their own. It was a bizarre yet pleasing thought, even with all that he had to go through to get there.

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” his thoughts were interrupted by Tanya who, upon further inspection, had found her way quite a few metres ahead of him.

“There’s no rush,” he tried to placate, though he only received an eye-roll as per expected.

Gathering his energy together, Misawa broke into a brisk jog in order to catch up to his partner who, in his admittedly not professional opinion, really should be exerting herself the least she possibly could, had seemed to speed up after their brief exchange as if to spite him and his very much valid concerns.

Perhaps three years ago he wouldn’t have had the energy to do that but now he was a new man. Maybe not ‘new’, per say, but definitely different. It wasn’t even like he wasn’t physically active back then either, but he definitely wasn’t built for endurance.

As the two continued to walk- now at a slower pace after Tanya finally relented; ‘so you’ll stop nagging’ she’d said with a slight huff- their end goal, a small nameless village, came into view.

Almost none of the places they visited had names, all a great distance away from each other and few equipped with roads, though more had cropped up in recent years, thankfully. Despite their distance and lack of ease to travel between, or maybe because of it, the two almost never took a cart over from one place to another. They both agreed in the end that having a cart would be more trouble than it’s worth, even if Misawa sometimes regretted that decision.

“C’mon, almost there,” Tanya said as though she was talking to a child, earning an exasperated look which in turn earned a hearty laugh.

The village, which the two had simply come to call ‘Tower Village’ for the multitude of old towers that had come to be used as houses among other things as their previous use became less and less useful as time went on.

Coming up to the gates, it didn’t take long for the guards to recognise them.

“It’s that time of the year, huh?” one said, looking to his friend across from him, not addressing their visitors.

“Guess so! Time sure does fly.”

Either way, they managed to get in without hassle. Honestly, Misawa thought they were getting a bit too lax. Voicing this opinion has he had last time would only earn him a laugh as though he’d told a particularly funny joke. He wasn’t going to push it.

Inside was a lot greener than he remembered it being with the largest patch of grass he could immediately see having been cordoned off, presumably so the village kids wouldn’t trample it and ruin the progress they had made though there were plenty of other small patches here and there plus the beginning of an orchard that he had no doubt would bare fruit come springtime.

“Look.” Tanya nudged him, pointing towards a rather new looking building with a very distinct look to it. “Seems they took your suggestion after all.” If Misawa didn’t know any better, he’d say she looked proud of that fact.

It did indeed look as though they’d taken his suggestion for having a pharmaceutical-sort building within the village to heart. Upon initial viewing it may not seem as such with the only thing about it standing out being how well-kept it appeared, but the smells that poured from the open windows reminded him of that time his aunt got really into herbal remedies.

The two entered the shop mostly out of curiosity; he wasn’t even sure if it was physically possible for Tanya to get sick considering she never seemed to in the three years they’d been together and he, by proxy, also seemed to rarely, if ever, get sick.

“Welcome!” the cheery voice of an elderly woman greeted them with a more middle aged woman and child also behind the counter- well, the child was sitting on the counter but semantics.

“Woah!” the child seemed to marvel at the two, though her gaze lingered on Tanya for significantly longer. “Your arms are really big! Can I touch them?”

Startled, Tanya seemed to take a minute to process the odd request.

“Miya, that’s rude,” the middle aged woman scolded in a hushed tone almost as soon as the request was out of the young girl’s mouth, urging her to apologise before doing so herself. “Sorry about her.”

Misawa found himself more amused than anything and Tanya, after breaking from her stupor, seemed to share the same sentiment.

“It’s alright, don’t worry,” Misawa ended up saying to who he presumed was the child’s mother before Tanya picked it up from there with a nod.

Despite leaning so she wasn’t as imposing as she may have at first seemed, Tanya found herself still quite a bit taller than the seated child- Miya, apparently-, flexing for the child to marvel at anyway without much more thought put into it.

Miya hesitantly lay her small hand on Tanya’s bicep, squeaking in what Tanya hoped was delight and not whatever else it could’ve been. After a moment of awed silence, the young girl ended up firing questions one after another.

Even though she looked slightly (read: extremely) out of her depth, Tanya managed to calm the child down before answering the questions with maybe not enough consideration to the kid’s age. As soon as he noticed things were under control, Misawa turned his full attention to the two older women.

“Were you looking for anything specific?” Miya’s mother asked, also turning her attention away.

“Ah, no. We haven’t been here in a while and were curious as to the new building.”

As he said it, something akin to faint recognition flickered in the old woman’s eye.

“I see. In any case, you can call me Jane and this is my mother Tsu.” She gestured to the older woman next to her who’d been listening silently. “We don’t get many travellers ‘round these parts- have you come far?”

“You could say that, I suppose,” he answered, giving the same vague response he tended to when people asked the question. The question had died down in recent years, but it still remained.

“It’s nice to meet you; you can call me Misawa,” he said before gesturing to Tanya who was still stuck talking to the kid. “This is Tanya, my partner.”

“Lucky man,” Jane grinned.

“I-”

“He is,” Tanya butted in before tuning out again. Misawa couldn’t help but feel a sheepish smile tug on his lips at that confidence of hers.

Luckily, both Jane and Tsu seemed to find her confidence endearing as well as they grinned at the statement as well.

“You’re the young man who came here around this time last year, are you not?” Tsu spoke for the first time since they entered the shop.

“That I am.” There wasn’t really any reason to deny it.

An expression of recognition flickered across Jane’s face at the new information much akin to Tsu’s knowing glint from earlier.

“So it’s because of you mother got the chance to set up the shop!” She went to slam her hand on the counter before she stopped herself just before it hit, though it still fell with a noticeable thud.

“Nonsense,” her mother chided. “I was wanting to set it up for a while, but it takes time and support to start a business in a place such as this.”

Jane rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant, mother. Besides, I’m still right; without them you wouldn’t have gained the support to open up.”

“Perhaps but you need to watch your phrasing, my dear.”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes again or else at risk of losing her eyes, Jane turned back to Misawa.

“However it happened, thanks I guess. If you need something during your stay here you’re always welcome to ask.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, thank you.”

“That our queue to leave?” Tanya found herself popping back into conversation, setting Miya back on the counter after apparently having picked her up at some point.

“Don’t be ru-” Misawa started to say before his feet were no longer on the ground, now finding himself being carried bridal style by his partner out the door, though not before she announced their leaving with a rather loud ‘goodbye’ to the applause of a child.

He wanted to be annoyed- and part of him was, even if just a very small part- but he found himself used to this common occurrence and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t at least partially enjoy being carried by Tanya- maybe not so much in a public area though. They’d had the conversation enough though that he knew this wasn’t going to change in the near future.

“To the inn we go,” Tanya announced before whisking him away, Misawa’s protests to let him at least walk there himself falling on deaf ears, even many of the village folk who were around promptly ignored them.

It wasn’t until they reached the ‘inn’ as Tanya put it which was less an inn and more a slightly done up abandoned house- a village in the middle of nowhere had no need for inns, after all- that he was finally allowed to stand on his own two feet once more, somehow exhausted despite having done nothing.

He shot a scandalised look at Tanya who just smiled at him knowingly.

“Come on, you enjoyed it.”

“Well ye- no. No, I was terrified out of my mind. You run inhumanely fast.”

“Not human,” she said with a wave of her hand, taking seat on the bed. “And don’t think I didn’t miss that little slip up there.”

“Hearing things.”

“Yeah; you admitting you like me carrying you.”

“I will neither confirm nor deny.”

Such a typical response earned an amused snort before she tugged at his wrist, pulling him onto the bed beside her with shamefully little strength put into it.

“You’re so predictable, you know that?” she said after a moment.

“Perhaps.”

“See, I thought you’d say that.”

“Did you now?”

Tanya hummed in affirmation and Misawa wasn’t about to push her on the subject lest they end up in an endless cycle akin to that of children trying to figure out who was more stupid.

Getting into a more comfortable position, the two lay on the bed in a comfortable silence.

“It’s winter back on earth, right?” Tanya brought up, breaking the idea Misawa had that she may have fallen asleep.

“Yeah?” He had no idea where this could possibly be going.

“And Judai asked if you’d be coming back a few weeks ago.”

Ah.

“I’m not planning on it, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I get that, but do you ever miss celebrating-” she paused, struggling to remember the correct phrase.

“Christmas?” he pitched and she snapped her fingers to affirm it.

“That’s the one.”

“Not really.” Glancing towards Tanya found him seeing a not entirely sure look.

“Honestly. There’s celebrations here, and it’s not like I can never talk to my friends back on earth either.”

“It’s different to talk to them on a screen though.”

Misawa found himself shrugging. “I guess, but I’d rather be here?”

“Wandering the vast wastelands?”

“The very ones. Besides, you’re here and I think I’d miss you too much if I left.”

“Ew,” Tanya’s face crinkled in what was only slightly real disgust.

“I’d make the same decision again and again if I had to.”

“Ew again but also that’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve heard you say.”

Misawa found himself unexpectedly breaking out into a chuckle, soon joined by his partner.

It was hard to track time in the Dark Dimension but as it went on, time became relative for them. Some moments lasted forever, but most never lasted enough. Some veered completely off the space time continuum and left them there in a weird subspace where time was limitless and was to their command.

Time continued that night though at its own leisurely pace and, for once, the two never seemed to mind. They didn’t need all the time in the world, just each other. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up a lot longer than I thought it would and yet it has such an abrupt end. Kinda sad, but y'know. It is what it is. I don't really know why I couldn't bring myself to say 'girlfriend' but I guess that just isn't a thing that they say now. 
> 
> I kinda got into the idea of describing the village and was going to have them explore it a bit more, but I ended up cutting all that out since that would've taken too much time that I just don't have though I'd love to explore the idea of the two of them travelling to different places around Dark Dimension and helping out more at some other point. 
> 
> I was so tempted to make Misawa call Tanya his muscle wife but I decided against it in the end. Another unfortunate casualty of this chapter. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	9. Return (Hayato & Jim)

It was maybe a bit strange, but Hayato never took a break from his job. Not really. Sometimes- okay, most of the time- he’d sleep in, but everyday he’d be drawing something; designing, creating. Sometimes he forgot it was even his job; it was more like a hobby he got paid for and, hey, he wasn’t about to start complaining about that.

It was possibly for that reason that he found it a bit hard to have ‘time off’ to any extent. His down time was spent either sleeping or drawing- no matter how many times his co-workers invited him out for a drink, he’d always refuse. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to bond better with his colleagues, it was more that socialising wasn’t his strong point.

When he thought about it, it never really had been. He was lucky he had friends at all back in school, though it wasn’t really any mystery as to how that had happened considering he had quite possibly the most rambunctious pair of roommates.

The two thoughts combined into one as he was reminded of the text he’d gotten not too long ago from one of said roommates; something about a party that he was still debating about going to. On one hand maybe he could stand to socialise more, not to mention starting by hanging out with some old friends would likely make the experience much easier considering he hadn’t completely cut himself off from them, if the fact that Judai had his number was any indicator.

After the school had just up and disappeared- he was ashamed to admit that he was glad at that moment that he’d already up and left the school by that time- he’d found himself watching the news intently for news of their return. Once the school returned, he found himself down those he knew still, and once they returned he’d been drowned in work before managing to get the chance to get Shou’s contact.

It was a very roundabout way of doing things, though he couldn’t say he was all too surprised at that fact; anything regarding his school friends seemed to just be like that.

It was from various meetings with Shou shortly after establishing contact (with his then very annoyed brother being seemingly forced along) that he’d found out… some of what happened. He didn’t really want to push for details so he ended up settling with the bare minimum that he could scavenge, though he did find out about what everyone was up to now including the not so surprising fact that Judai had just wandered off somewhere.

From the moment he achieved contact it was like some sort of roller coaster. His job was still the same- thank goodness- and he still got his long lies most of the time, but every so often he’d have someone showing up at just the weirdest of places. Not particularly in an awkward fashion, but people he knew and people he didn’t (though apparently had heard of him) just started talking to him. It was almost sad to say that he’d just about gotten used to it by this point.

The start of the strange experiences had been odd, yes, but not too unexpected from all that he’d gathered. It was late afternoon and it was chucking buckets outside when he’d heard a knock on the door, the source of which appeared to be a drenched Judai who was swiftly- and with a bunch of confusion- bustled in and dried.

Foresight from Shou had made him expect that hearing some voices of duel spirits he hadn’t heard before would be the weirdest thing of the day, even if the following story behind it was a close second, but that was thrown right out the window and into a bin when he was introduced to one of the duel spirits. You don’t exactly expect to hear an old friend who’s shown his face to you for the first time in a few years just casually say ‘oh yeah, that’s my partner, Yubel’. It was a surreal moment, that’s for sure.

Of the less expected encounters he had was, it was perhaps his most recent encounter with a stranger- an Australian man- that weirded him out the most.

Hayato had seen (and heard) a lot of strange things over the years but those tended to be regulated to duel spirit and school friend related incidents only until he saw a man standing in the middle of the street staring at a map with a crocodile on his back. Just on his back as if it were no more than a toddler.

The sound of the man’s crocodile had initially snapped him out of his daze as the man seemed to turn as if understanding the sound- growl?- it made. This resulted in what was probably the least desirable situation in that the man’s line of sight brought his gaze straight to Hayato’s and man, if he thought the man couldn’t get any weirder he was downright wrong.

The man was wearing clothes that could only be described as strange, not to mention the bandages over his right eye that just left him looking like a strange foreign cosplayer.

As the foreigner approached, he only started to freak out more. While he didn’t really tend to say that judging based on appearances was a thing he commonly did, the man was clearly not Japanese if the goddamn crocodile was any indicator- seriously though, how did he get that through customs?

It wasn’t as if he was particularly bad at English, he could speak it somewhat decently- much better than a lot of other people he knew though-, but it wasn’t a skill he really brushed up on all too often.

“Hello!” he spoke all too cheery for a man in immediate danger and, most importantly, in English- accented English, no less, though Hayato did recognise it very quickly and with some fondness to the memories.

“Eh- uh- H-hello?” his own English was accented to, if for different reasons and a completely different accent.

The man looked vaguely shocked, though that expression changed very quickly to a pleased one. “You speak English?”

“Yes, a little.” It came out slow and unsure, but it was relatively simple English so he was sure he got it right.

“Do you know where this is?” the man spoke now in Japanese much clearer than Hayato was sure his English had been while pointing at a location on his phone, shocking him a great deal.

“You speak Japanese?” he echoed the similar words of the foreigner, not at all answering what he’d been asked, who looked a bit surprised to have been asked that question.

“Yes,” he transitioned back into English for that one word which really did throw him for a loop.

“I’m supposed to be meeting some friends at this place.” He pointed again at the location and Hayato leaned in to get a closer look. “But I can’t seem to find it and the locals seem to be avoiding me.” He laughed as he rubbed the back of his head, avoiding the creature on his back as though it was second nature.

“I, uh, yeah,” Hayato said slowly as he tried to get a grasp on the man’s odd behaviour. “It’s probably because your… pet?.”

“What?” the man looked genuinely confused but he couldn’t bring himself to be genuinely sympathetic in that case. “You mean Karen? Karen’s my family!” He seemed a bit defensive over the crocodile.

“Sorry?” he tried but the man didn’t really seem offended in the first place despite how defensive he’d gotten over the notion of the crocodile- Karen- being a pet. He quickly decided to get away from the topic of the crocodile as it- she- seemed to stare at him, judging him silently. “Back to your question; the cafe you’re looking for isn’t that far from here. I could take you if you’d like, it’s on the route to where I was going anyway.”

Why did he offer? He just wanted to go home. For all he was good at art he sure was stupid at pretty much anything else.

“Great!” The English word was less jarring than the last time the man had spoken one but it still threw him a bit. “Lead the way! Oh, I’m Jim by the way.” He held his hand for a handshake which was hesitantly taken.

“Hayato,” was all he said, taking the lead.

Being in the lead meant that he didn’t have to look at the crocodile or see it stare into his being, unfortunately though, he could still very much feel it. It was creepy and he couldn’t wait to get away from Jim as soon as possible, as mean as that sounded.

“Are your friends familiar with the area?” he ended up asking as the silence started to gnaw at him even if Jim didn’t seem to care. The cafe was in a bit of an odd place. It wasn’t exactly back alley but it didn’t look like a cafe upon first glance, even if it was worth going to the hassle of visiting in the first place.

The Australian seemed to actually have to think about the answer even though he’d thought it would end up being a pretty straightforward question.

“I think so!” he ended up saying. “Austin’s not been here for a while but he’s good at finding his way around, Judai’s maybe less clear cut but I’d hope he knows where he’s going most of the time.”

That first part meant very little, just providing noise to fill the silence like he’d initially hoped for, but the second part caught his attention.

“Judai?” he murmured, mostly to himself, though Jim seemed a bit confused that that was what he’d latched onto.

“He’s a friend from when me and Austin where transfer students here,” he explained, still sounding confused and answering what he thought was the question. “Apparently he was in the area so he wanted to meet us somewhere.”

“Duel Academia?”

“How’d you guess?”

Hayato couldn’t help but laugh as he vaguely remembered one of his two roommates talking about the transfers from other duel schools from around the world, though as always when it came to topics surrounding that time the details were rather nondescript.

“Assuming it’s the same person, I roomed with Judai during first year before I got a job with Industrial Illusions.”

“Oh!” he exclaimed in a distinctly English-sounding way. “You should join us then!”

That escalated quickly and completely in a direction that he didn’t want.

“Ah, no. I really have to get home; I’m sure I’d just end up confused anyway.”

“Maybe next time then.”

“Maybe.” He couldn’t tell if he meant it or not.

The two continued to walk, making relative small talk before Hayato started to slow, recognising the area as being very close to the cafe Jim had been looking for and, luckily, in a different direction from where his flat was situated.

“If you walk just a bit further and take a right turn,” he gestured and pointed with his hands. “You should find your friends there; if not, you’re best phoning them instead of asking a stranger.”

Jim expressed his gratitude in English alongside some words Hayato didn’t get the chance to wrap his head around before continuing on in Japanese without skipping a beat.

“What a stroke of luck, coming across one of Judai’s old friends! Thanks again.”

“Ah, uh. No problem.” Hayato waved, already inching away, though it wasn’t seemingly noticed. “It was nice meeting you.”

Jim nodded, giving Hayato a pat on the shoulder before the two parted ways and Hayato made a speedy return to his flat where he promptly found himself collapsing on his chair, thoroughly exhausted.

That was enough socialising for the one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a weird combination, I know, but hey-ho! When I was brainstorming for this day before December started I was originally going to have this chapter be Tanya and Misawa returning to earth but then decided against it, obviously. I was always going to have Hayato because, and this is a fun fact, I love him and he deserves the world. I'm glad he at least got a proper send off; a lot of shows wouldn't have done that for him. 
> 
> I knew I wanted to pair him off with someone so it wasn't just him alone but it was a bit of a hard decision of who so I decided to go with a bit of set-up for next chapter which, should I go ahead with doing what I'm thinking next chapter, should be fun (for me anyway, don't know about y'all). I hope the way I wrote them (especially Jim) wasn't too bad cause man... that was rough.
> 
> That last line is an absolute mood though, just saying.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	10. Match (Jim & Judai & Austin)

For some reason or another, people tended to be surprised when Austin would mention he loved Christmas. He didn’t really understand their shock- it was a perfectly normal thing to love, after all. He may not be much for the religious aspect of it but he loved the general get-together it caused; the general sense of warmth and community.

Most, if not all, years he’d spend Christmas with his parents: it was one of the few times he’d come home throughout the entire year, so it meant he always had something to look forward to at the end of the year. This year, however, was going to be different.

Sitting in a cafe in Japan was most definitely not his usual. In fact, it was pretty much the opposite of his usual considering he always tended to be on the move in one way or another, though in the end he did suppose a change of pace was good every now and then.

Seemed his parents thought so too considering it was them who’d urged him to come on out even if it was a huge detour consisting of over twelve hours of travel. Was it worth it? Only time would tell, he supposed.

Catching a glimpse of a worn brown coat accompanied by a red scarf, Austin looked up from where he was staring into his mug of half-drunk coffee and found himself now in the line of sight of one Judai; he lifted his hand to indicate his presence to the other, though it wasn’t as if he would be hard to miss.

“Early as expected,” he huffed, drawing out a chair to take a seat after almost crashing into it. Austin waited a moment to let him catch his breath. “Glad you could make it though!”

“I’m not early.” A glance at his watch would tell him that as of that moment he was right on time, in fact.

“You know what I mean!”

“I’m not sure I do.” His tone masked his amusement.

Judai shot him a betrayed look, only making his amusement grow even if it wouldn’t show.

“What have you been up to then?”

Judai leaned back in his seat, hands burying deep into his jacket pockets as he stretched himself out, sitting like a normal person once he seemed to think of an adequate response- or, knowing Judai, a vague response intentioned only to annoy him. What Judai apparently found so hard about just being straightforward about things he’d never quite wrap his head around; one of the many mysteries of Judai Yuki.

“Oh, y’know, just here and there. Helping some people, hindering others. The whole works.” A nonchalant grin found its way on his face as he spoke.

“Would it kill you to just answer a question as it was meant to be?” His grin widened.

“Yes.”

If Austin were anyone else his eye would have twitched just then, though he instead sighed and continued on anyway.

“What made you want to meet in such a crowded place anyway?”

Judai shrugged.

“I’m staying in the area for the month.” His nose scrunched up as though the mere idea of staying put like a normal person bothered him. “And, believe it or not, this is the least busy place I could think of.”

“It’ll be good for you; exposure therapy.”

“Already looking forward to leaving.”

Just as the words escaped his mouth, another voice chimed in; “Leaving already?”

Austin glanced over to find a familiar crocodile on the back of a familiar Australian.

“Jim!” Judai greeted, standing up as quickly as seemed humanly possible before engulfing Jim and Karen both- somehow- into a one-armed hug. “You made it!”

“Sure did! Now, what’s this I hear about leaving?”

“Just Judai being weird.”

“I resent that.”

Jim either didn’t hear Judai’s last comment or chose to simply ignore him- either one was fair, really- as he instead just laughed at Austin’s statement, grin holding place.

“Well then, where are we heading to first?” he asked.

Austin turned to Judai as the question was raised. Since it was Judai that had invited them both in the first place and they’d both travelled here specifically for that reason, it was only expected that he’d leave the planning thing to Judai. He’d been in the area before but he hadn’t seen the more tourist-oriented spots.

Judai seemed to freeze as two pairs of eyes landed on him expectantly. “I, uh…” he laughed nervously, eyes darting side to side before confidently exclaiming, “Let’s wing it!”

“Should we have expected anything else?” Austin asked Jim in a hushed tone, leaning closer to him as he hid his mouth behind his hand.

Jim just shrugged. “I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”

“I heard that!” Judai squawked, flapping his arms, though the two of them exchanged a glance that confirmed that they both knew it was more than likely Yubel who had heard and told him.

Either way the moment had allowed a smile to slip past his carefully crafted mask of indifference which didn’t go unnoticed by his friends, unfortunately.

“Ah!” Judai gasped, his arms abruptly falling to his side before one arm was lifted to point at his now confused face. “He smiled!”

“You ruined it,” Jim chided, though his tone was teasing.

“What are you two even talking about?”

“We actually got you to smile!”

“I smile a decent amount.”

“I beg to differ,” Judai refuted. “Your smile-to-not-smile ratio is really unbalanced.”

“I’m surprised you know what a ratio is,” Austin commented which earned a chuckle from Jim and an offended ‘hey!’ from Judai. “Besides, this is on your scale, not a normal person’s.”

“I am normal!”

Austin raised his brow and Judai relented, slouching where he stood.

“Okay, sure, but Jim’s normal and I bet he agrees with me!”

“He’s not normal either.”

“Got that right,” Jim joked, Karen growling from behind him in what Austin guessed- hoped- was a sort of agreement.

“Then who is normal?”

“Me,” Austin began then paused. “Asuka, maybe Shou.”

“That’s not a whole lot of people.”

“Well, you do seem to gather the strangest of people.”

“You’re included in that ‘people’.”

“That sentence doesn’t make sense.”

Austin shrugged and Judai scowled at the nonchalance of the action, as if the ‘argument’ was actually a serious discussion.

“We gonna get moving or what? Karen’s getting restless,” Jim interrupted, pointing back to a squirming crocodile that was seeming to draw more and more attention as the surrounding people realised that it wasn’t just some strange foreigner with a plush crocodile on his back but instead a strange foreigner with a real crocodile on his back.

“Sounds like a plan!” Judai jumped to the suggestion all too quickly.

“Lead the way then.”

And so Judai did lead the way. To where? He wasn’t sure, but it was somewhere and that was better than nowhere.

The two ended up going deeper into the city before they reached a moderately sized park that was pretty empty likely due to the season and lateness of the afternoon.

“Wow, never seen a park before,” Austin commented with thinly veiled sarcasm. “This was worth the twelve hour journey.”

Judai narrowed his eyes while Jim nudged him with a humorous ‘hush’.

“So is this where you’re staying?” Jim asked jokingly, glancing around. “I like what you’ve done with the place, really airy.”

“Stop being so mean to me!” Judai feigned hurt, hand clutching his heart.

“You make it too easy,” Austin commented as he glanced around at the park.

  
“But for the record, I did stay here for a short while and it’s not as bad as it looks.” He crossed his arms; actually looked fairly offended at the idea that it wasn’t a good place to stay even though it was a park and very much not a conventional homestead. “Besides, I thought Karen’d like to be able to roam a little.”

“Great idea!” Jim switched instinctively to English before unstrapping Karen from her harness and letting her down. “Don’t go too far now,” he instructed before turning back.

Although the exchange with Karen had been in English, Austin couldn’t help but briefly wonder if Karen understood both English and Japanese considering when around Judai he’d tend to talk to the crocodile in Japanese while when it was just him and Austin he’d talk to her in English. Maybe she didn’t understand either and it was just a formality. Best not dwell on the logistics of a man communicating with a crocodile.

Karen herself didn’t seem to go far, walking a few paces before just kind of stopping and looking about from what she could see.

“Is there anywhere you guys specifically want to go?” Judai asked, bringing Austin’s attention back to the actual human beings right in front of him.

Austin fell silent. He’d been around the area so he didn’t want to say anything unless he really needed to on the matter of sightseeing.

Jim seemed to take the question into careful consideration though, finger tapping his chin as he deliberated over his answer.

“How about some places unique to the area?” Was what he seemed to come up.

“I think I could do that.”

Which is how, maybe half an hour later, they found themselves wandering around the dark and cold alleys of the city.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Austin asked, only skeptical now that they’d been wandering for half an hour, only stopping once when Jim had stopped to marvel at some shop with fossils in the display window.

“Yes! Stop doubting me, I know my way around places most of the time.”

“‘Most of the time’,” Austin echoed but was ignored as they continued on their mission… somewhere. Judai hadn’t stated exactly where he was leading them and Austin hoped it wasn’t too far from where the hotel he’d booked into that morning was. A glance at Jim told him that he didn’t care as much as he, himself, did and was just along for the ride at this stage even if Karen was starting to nod off to sleep by the looks of it.

The sky continued to darken and the shops started to illuminate the walkways for the trio (foursome if you included Karen in the group).

Of all the shops that Austin had expected to have Judai show them it wasn’t a shop that seemed to only be illuminated by candlelight if the dark void that he could see from deep within the store was any indicator alongside the flickering candles by the display window- was this even legal?

Noticing the skeptical look of his friends, Judai was quick to try and assure them of the safety and legality of the shop.

“Don’t worry, I know the guy who owns it. He says it’s all for the aesthetics.”

“Let’s check it out then!” Jim seemed all too happy with the very Judai-esque explanation as he followed said young man into the shop which left Austin no choice but to follow on unless he wanted to stand outside alone in the freezing dark.

The inside of the shop was cluttered in an organised fashion and was filled to the brim with old memorabilia and artifacts and, despite earlier impressions, it was surprisingly warm. Guess the candlelight really was there for aesthetic; he had to admit it did give of a unique sort of ambiance. He still wasn’t all too sure that this set-up was safe or even legal but he’d let it pass just this once. Maybe.

As they ventured further into the shop, a counter and register came into view alongside an elderly man who was sitting at his desk, catching quick sight of Judai and company.

“Judai!” He greeted, voice warm and full of familiarity. “Need a place to stay again?”

“Ah, no. Not today,” he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I’m here with my friends- human ones.”

“Not everyday you bring some human visitors with you,” he continued. “Do they need a place to stay then?”

“No, no- I, well, I don’t think so?” Judai glanced back at them questioningly.

“I’ve got a place booked,” Jim said with Austin following that up with pretty much the same reply.

“Such unique young fellows; feel free to have a look around,” the man grinned before turning his attention swiftly away from them and back to Judai, losing interest. “So, tell me what you’ve been up to since I last saw you.”

And it was there that Austin decided he was no longer part of the conversation, Jim seemingly finding the same conclusion as the two split off to look at the assortment of items cluttered around the shop.

The old man came off as a little bit weird to Austin but it didn’t take long for him to come up with a realistic theory of how Judai had probably come across- and become friends with- the man with the fact that he’d called them ‘human visitors’ and the fact that Judai had felt the need to specify the distinction in the first place: he was a spirit seer similar to the likes of Johan, Manjoume and of course Judai himself.

He may not know all too much about the details of Judai’s adventures, but he knew that part of his reason for travelling was to help those who’d found themselves with the same ability he did.

He’d assumed most of those people would be young children struggling with their issue but it seemed that he was a bit off the mark on that one.

Absentmindedly, he flicked through some of the aged pages of the book he’d picked up before setting it down again, attention soon drawn to an antique pistol. Picking it up, he recognised that it more than likely didn’t work but he found himself interested in it either way. It seemed just like the sort of thing his dad would enjoy having a look at and his mum would enjoy displaying.

Picking it up for a better look, he found that despite its age it seemed in good condition- that is to say, old, rusted and a little worn, but the detailing in the metal was intact and it seemed to have had a good life.

“You’ve got a good eye,” a voice behind him spoke and a lesser man may have gotten a fright but Austin was no lesser man, just turning his head to face the hold man, handing the worn weapon to the man.

“I’ve had this one for a while; not too many people come here interested in the likes of this.” His hand stroked the embroidery down the side gingerly, as though he could damage it by just pressing it too hard.

“I’ve been hoping to give it a good home for sometime now, though I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s not serviceable by now.”

Austin nodded. “My parents tend to like looking at old weaponry,” he explained as if he needed to before adding, “it’s a hobby.”

“A Christmas present then?” The man asked, looking at him with an assessing eye, continuing before he could even speak. “You take it. I’ve no need for it, and I doubt there’s many out there who’d find interest.”

“But-”

“For a good cause,” the man continued as if he hadn’t interrupted Austin, sauntering away to the back room.

“You get something?” Jim asked, coming up beside him as the two watched the man disappear.

“I think so?”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.” He wasn’t sure was else to say. “What a strange man.”

“He seems nice enough though, even if he’s a bit peculiar.”

Austin nodded before the man came back with a box and gently yet forcefully pushed it into his hands.

“Oh? You got something?” Judai came up, repeating Jim’s question. Austin nodded.

“See? Said you shouldn’t have doubted me.”

“My doubt was still founded,” Austin replied as he went to pay for the item, however much it cost.

The man, however, wasn’t anywhere in sight.

“We should probably head, it’s getting late,” Judai sighed, stretching his arms as best he could in such a cramped area.

“Sounds fine to me.”

“I could go for some normalcy.”

“You say, implying I’m not?”

“My experience in here tells me that you’re not.”

“I mean you’re not entirely wrong,” Judai muttered.

Before they slipped out of the shop, Austin slipped some money onto the counter by the register just in case.

Judai led them out of the shop and the trio started on their journey back to where each of them were staying respectively, Jim and Judai chatting casually away as Austin half listened and added in a comment when the moment felt appropriate.

Glancing back as the shop got further, he couldn’t help but notice the darkness that was emitted from the strange shop’s window, candles snuffed out until the next day.

Odd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has pretty much nothing to do with any sort of match but it's my birthday so I get a free pass on this one! That's how this stuff works, okay? I just wanted an excuse to write my favourite character (alongside Yubel, of course) honestly. 
> 
> This was going to be pretty short but I guess in tradition it ended up at almost 3000 words which is pretty neat. It's pretty late now though now that it's past ten. Hope you enjoyed it though, even considering I've never tried to write Austin before and am still unsure of my characterisation on Jim. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	11. Heinous (Shou & Ryo)

Even knowing that it was unlikely now for anything terrible to happen to Ryo, Shou still worried. He worried a whole lot more than a younger brother should, really, but he was a worrier; worrying’s sort of in the job description.

Everyday he’d wake up and part of him would panic; what if his heart had went off and started to beat irregularly? Sure, he knew that he had an ICD to keep it in check in case it decided to stop working one day- ‘It doesn’t work like that,’ Ryo would say, to which he’d always reply, ‘but it might!’.

“The entire reason for the ICD is to make sure that my heart works,” Ryo would repeatedly say in efforts to appease his brother, sometimes much more calm than other times.

The more he was told not to worry, the more he would. Ryo may be back to duelling but that didn’t mean everything was suddenly perfect; he wouldn’t have ended up having an ICD implanted if everything had just cleared up. The fact of the matter was that he had died once and was at risk of suffering arrhythmia again.

Again. That word scared him.

Ryo seemed too nonchalant for the matter, always stating that it was a precaution and nothing more and that nothing would happen to him. He never was the best at looking after himself, somehow only getting worse after his so-called ‘recovery’ if that was even possible (Shou would think that to himself and then realise that yes, that was possible and that he was increasingly glad that he was there to keep things on track).

Winter was especially tough for Shou to keep Ryo safe- God, it sounded like he was talking about a young kid- without attempting to restrict him anywhere; he’d tried and it didn’t work, Ryo could overpower him easily and was also, y’know, an adult who can very much make his own decisions as bad as they may be. All Shou could really do was make sure that his brother would bundle up whenever he went out and kept healthy as he typically did. It was stressful all the same.

It was cruel of him perhaps, but Shou wished that Ryo had the capability to not rile him up. One incident of an argument in their early days of living together resulted in Ryo almost fainting and then Shou soon following him soon after merely out of panic.

Sitting now as he was, Shou let himself forget about his second job as an unwanted caretaker, instead bundling himself up on the sofa in front of their electric fire all while in a blanket just for the extra warmth, phone in hand as he scrolled through endless messages; some he’d already read, some he really should get around to responding to.

Every so often he’d scroll again and find himself checking the messages between him and Ryo as though he were subconsciously waiting for a message that would confirm that he was alright. Perhaps luckily, he didn’t notice he was doing it and so didn’t dwell on the lack of messages in the first place.

The mindless scrolling ceased soon as he finally got sick of staring at the messages he’d read ten times over, instead switching over to a mindless game until he inevitably got bored with that as well and the cycle would continue as it had for the past, what, two hours? That seemed about right.

He could get started on dinner, that much was true, but as he flopped himself down on his side, curling his legs into his chest as if he could get any warmer, that was Ryo’s job today and he wasn’t going to take such an honour away from him. He was the elder brother after all; Shou had to leave at least something for him to do. After all, what are older siblings for if not to occasionally make food for you? Normal, probably, but they never had been that even if they edged closer by the day.

At this stage, it was more of a friendship than anything like a sibling relationship but it had its perks. Mainly being they didn’t have to constantly fight like Shou’d seen siblings do all the time while growing up whether it be on TV, in books or in real life. As great as it was to finally have some sense of closeness with his previously estranged brother, he couldn’t help but feel as though he was missing something.

Ryo himself wasn’t all too sure if he wanted it to change.

Maybe it was him being pessimistic or maybe it was realism he didn’t know, but having had a hectic time of sudden loss and then gain would it be all too bad to say he felt secure in what he had?

Sure, it wasn’t all great; he and Shou fought on the odd occasion, he had to watch his health especially closely, he was currently working on working his league up in the world of pro duelling and not to mention the regular visits he had to make to his doctor just to confirm that he still wasn’t dead. That didn’t mean that he wanted to change anything; the moment he tried it could very well all go crashing down again. The world was just cruel like that sometimes and to some more than others.

Walking alone in the night covered head to toe in black wouldn’t be a good idea most of the time but the lights of the city made the glow of the moon and stars seem obsolete and made the colour of his coverings matter not.

It probably looked a bit odd, he mused to himself: a man covered in black with the sole exception of the blue of his scarf carrying an uncountable amount of bags not unlike the sort one might see a young woman carrying after a particularly eventful day out shopping. He snorted at the mere image of it.

Living with someone had its downsides, especially when that someone was your over emotional brother when you yourself had a very hard time clearly expressing yourself- hey, who knows maybe Judai was right when he said that Shou stole all of his ability to emote. It would be rather handy if he could get that back. A wonderful Christmas present if only for the fact that it would most likely cause a stir if he suddenly started to ‘have actual human emotions’, as Judai had so nicely put it.

Hiding presents around the house was particularly hard while living with Shou who was small enough to sneak his way into any hiding places Ryo had tried in the past few years; he’d been thinking of getting Edo to keep them at his place should the matter arise, but he knew that chances are someone would end up sneaking a peak even if said person wasn’t Shou. Really, he was sure how he managed to become friends with such difficult people.

In the end, he decided he’d just have to keep a close eye on both the gifts and Shou this year and hope that it actually worked this time.

Of course, having so many bags couldn’t really be answered by just mentioning that he, naturally, got a gift for his brother. The reason he was damaging his wallet so much this year was for the pure fact that Fubuki was out for blood this year- blood being the money everyone spent so much time saving this year- by throwing a godforsaken party that he had, for some reason, agreed to go to.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that much of a mystery as to why he decided to go but that didn’t make it any less damaging or forewarn him of the dangers that lay in wait just for stepping into his apartment.

That is to say that last time he’d went to Fubuki’s apartment the fire department had shown up and Ryo was swift to never set foot in there while Fubuki was left alone; how the building still stood was a mystery that he never understood and wasn’t willing to find out. He was no longer the danger-seeking teen he’d once been. Nowadays he was all about not dying- especially at the hands of the aforementioned man.

Bags were clumsily shifted as he found himself reaching his flat much faster than he’d anticipated, hand reaching into his pocket to pull out the assortment of keys hooked onto the one keychain- most of which he undoubtedly didn’t know what they were for- as he inserted the key and bustled himself, bags and all, into the room, door closing behind him.

He wasn’t prepared for the sudden blast of hot air he had aimed at him as he found himself quickly overheating under the thicket of clothes he had on.

Placing the bags down just beside the door, he took off his layers and lazily draped them over the nearest chair- he could always get them later if he ended up getting complaints.

“Shou?” he called into the darkness of the room as he flicked the switch on.

There was an incoherent noise from the couch and Ryo made his way to investigate the noise only to find Shou sitting up, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the sudden light, hair half flat and half a complete and utter mess.

“Were you sleeping?” He would have been apologetic if he weren’t so amused. It may be night, but it was still early night.

“No,” Shou lied with a yawn and stretch.

“Uh huh,” was all Ryo commented as he made his way back to pick up his bags to transport them to his room, though not before they were spotted by Shou who ended up not commenting as he reluctantly found his way out of the blanket he was entangled in and headed to his own room to try and make himself look slightly less embarrassing..

When Ryo returned to the living room- conjoined to the kitchen- after remembering it was him that was to ‘make’ dinner tonight, Shou was nowhere in sight and he ended up just assuming he was already formulating his plan for the year as he got started.

Water was transferred from the tap to a pot which was soon boiled and filled with uncooked pasta.

It amused Ryo to no end that Shou would so often get on at him for not eating healthy enough (even though they ate almost exactly the same stuff most days) and yet the most nutritious thing they had in the flat tended to amount to pasta and ready meals with maybe the occasional bag of fruit.

As soon as the pasta was done, drained and sufficiently sauced up, Ryo plated up to the best of his efforts- that is to say, by dumping it onto one of two clean plates- before calling Shou back.

The speed at which Shou arrived made it seem as though, had it been possible, he would have slid around the corner and straight into the back of the sofa like a particularly excited kid. Hair now sufficiently spiked and, most importantly, not half flat, Shou gathered cutlery for himself before taking a over on the sofa where he’d just previously been sleeping, watching Ryo and waiting for his awaited food.

“Thanks for getting mine too.”

“No problem!” Shou beamed as though Ryo had gave him the most genuine, heartwarming compliment he’d ever received.

Rolling his eyes in veiled fondness and gathering his own cutlery, he grabbed the plates by their rims and made the journey to the coffee table. Sitting his own plate down by his usual chair, he went to put Shou’s in front of him before putting it just that little bit further from him.

He shot a glare that amounted to the ferocity of a newborn puppy which only earned him a quirk of the brow and a smirk, causing Shou to huff before stretching over to drag the plate towards him with an exaggerated amount of effort.

Sometimes, they seemed more like close friends than the brothers they ought to be but the ensuing petty bickering and comments ensured that, at least for that night, they were a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing how I thought it'd be a good idea to write a fic with so little dialogue considering that's the thing I like to think I'm most decent at. Guess what's done is done though. You can sorta tell it's not my area of expertise considering there's just a bunch of shoved-in exposition and headcanons in some places. I do, however, have an English prelim tomorrow so if I fail it I don't know how I'll be able to explain it away with the excuse of writing online. 
> 
> I have a list of all the characters I want to have in the fic and I've only got two left whether that's surprising or not considering everyone I've used so far; if anyone has a character they'd like to see (or pairings they'd like to see- not romantic) then I'd be more than willing to try and write them more! 
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	12. Whimsical (Rei & Martin)

“Y’know, I’ve been wondering for a while; what’s Christmas like in France?” Rei asked, legs lying over a bemused Martin’s lap. After so many attempts to (gently) push them off, he’d just let them be.

Martin didn’t say anything for a moment making Rei wonder if she had to repeat her question again. She was interrupted before she even got the chance to speak, however, as he opposite her spoke first.

“Different.”

“You have to give me more than that, dude. How’s it different?”

Martin glanced at her before cracking a slight smile, seemingly amused.

“Well,” he began slowly. “It’s a lot… bigger.”

“Bigger?” Rei asked.

“Bigger.” So it was confirmed to be bigger.

“You going to, uh, elaborate on that one?”

“Get your feet off me and we’ll see.”

“You’re so rude, I swear.” Her huffs didn’t stop her curiosity from winning over in the end as her legs shifted under her; both of them proceeding to shift positions as so they were more comfortable, Rei tucking her legs under herself and Martin sitting in a weird not-basket.

“Could you sit like a normal person?” Rei asked, never one to fail to notice Martin’s weird sitting tendencies. The plea went ignored.

“Christmas is a bit more celebrated. Over here, Christmas Eve is more popular- right?” He was offered a short nod at that. “And even then that’s a more romantic occasion. We’ve got a lot more lights and candles- there’s more of a lead-up I suppose.”

“Huh… What about actual Christmas day then? Is it pretty much the same? Just ‘bigger’.” The last word was said with a tone that told Martin he was definitely being made fun of. Joke’s on her though cause she contributed to that exchange.

“Kinda? Not really?” Unsure about what to say, he postponed his next sentence. “We don’t have fried chicken.” He said finally.

“What?” Martin could hear his ears ringing just from the one word. “But- But- That’s- You can’t have Christmas without fried chicken!”

Martin shrugged.

“I- Wh- Dude, you’re blowing my mind right here.” Rei clutched her head in her hands, staring at the gap between the couch cushions as though she’d just been told she was a wizard or something.

“It’s not that big a deal?”

“‘Not that big a deal,’ he says,” Rei mocked. “My life is a lie! Of course it’s a big deal!”

Martin chuckled at the dramatics Rei was putting on, even if he was slightly concerned that some of it was how she truly felt.

“I think it’s only Japan that has that tradition,” he added, as if he wanted to further contribute to Rei’s growing existential crisis. Well, it was less ‘as if’ and more he absolutely did. Not like he’d say that.

“Stop!” Rei whined, clutched head bowing down to almost touch the cushions before she shot up a new person, back to normal. “So what do you have instead?”

As if he hadn’t just witnessed such a speedy recovery, Martin went to continue.

“We have turkey.”

“Just turkey?”

“Well we have other things too: potatoes, peas, ham, salad, carrots; that sort of thing.”

“Wow. Sounds depressing,” Rei commented, expression firm and voice sad and sincere.

Martin just shook his head and didn’t bother saying anything, not wanting to drag out into yet another long winded conversation about how it wasn’t depressing to eat something that isn’t unhealthy and about how she should look after herself better.

“We also have sweets and cakes.” Rei instantly seemed to brighten up.

“Oh good! I thought France had completely forsaken me.”

Knowing better than to try and say pretty much anything in regards to how ridiculous that statement was after it had become some sort of a catchphrase of her’s whenever he did or said something weird during the first half of their third year even when it had nothing to do with him being French, he let it slide and continued on.

“We do have Christmas cake too but-”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“It’s nothing like the one you’re thinking of.”

And that was a shot straight through the heart of the young woman sitting across from him as her face instantly fell into a look of pure and utter horror, going rigid before she collapsed backwards into what looked like a very uncomfortable position.

“Why are you like this?” Was all Martin muttered, running his hand down his face in exasperation, not at all concerned.

“Why is France like that?”

“It’s the same in a lot of countries.”

“Why are a lot of countries like that?”

“I don’t know, go ask an expert.”

“Alright then, I will.” Rei slowly but surely sat back up then stretched her back out before staring at Martin in a way that let him know he really shouldn’t have said that. “Why does the western world hate fun?”

Martin couldn’t help the splutter of laughter that erupted from him at the deadpan delivery of such a statement before Rei’s own serious facade broke and she found herself grinning in victory.

“I- We don’t! Japan’s just weird.”

“Say that to my face, I dare you.”

“I just d- Okay, nevermind. I’m sorry.”

“Damn right.”

Martin shook his head with a sigh.

“But if your Christmas cake isn’t the same as the good Christmas cake then what is it?”

“I mean, we really call it ‘bûche de Noël’ but I thought just calling it a ‘Christmas cake’ would be easier for you.”

“It sounds like you sneezed.”

“That’s what you say whenever I teach you any French. At all.”

Rei shrugged. “I’m not wrong though.”

“I’m not saying anything more on this, I’m just moving on.”

Martin didn’t miss the whisper of ‘another victory for Rei’ under said person’s breath.

“Anyway, I think it’s a sponge with a bunch of icing. It looks sort of like a log- that’s where it got its name, I guess.”

“That’s a lot of guesswork.”

“I never really paid attention to it.”

“You’re a disgrace to your country,” Rei replied as though him not thinking over things that were just common for him was unnatural and as though she was any different considering her earlier dramatics over the subject. “Tell me more.”

“I don’t know if I’m qualified.”

“What?”

“I mean, according to you I’m a disgrace to my country.”

Rei rolled her eyes. “Come off it, I’ll take it back if you’ll just tell me more.”

Martin very visibly lit up at Rei admitting at least partial defeat which she didn’t fail to notice and subsequently scowl at.

“Other than food, I guess a lot is pretty similar. Oh, though we do have Couronnes de l'Avent- advent wreaths. I don’t know if every house did but when I was living with my mum we had it; dad doesn’t have one though.”

“And those would be?” Rei found herself leaning forward, though a bit to the side, arm holding her neck which in turn held her head. As was the nature of things.

“They’re wreaths.”

“I got that part.” Rei rolled her eyes, motioning with her hand in a circular motion. “And I know you know what I meant.”

She wasn’t wrong, persey, and he wasn’t someone that had a ton of fun riling people up typically, but it could be fun with her on the odd occasion. Plus, it never hurt to check.

“It’s a wreath-” Rei went to huff and repeat her statement before he continued in more detail. “With candles on it. Four, sometimes five if we felt like it. A new one would be lit on the Sunday of each day leading up to Christmas. I remember my mum saying that they symbolised different things but I don’t remember what she was referring to.”

“Despicable.”

“Sorry?” Martin tried, a bit confused but the apology was mostly genuine. “I mean, if you really want to know you could always look it up.”

“I could probably look up most of this stuff up but, as you know, I’m extremely lazy.”

“That’s the least true thing you’ve ever said; what happened to all that energy you usually have endless supplies of?”

“Gone.”

“I see.”

Rei nodded sagely as if she’d just managed to teach her friend the secrets of the universe itself.

“Hey, all those things are traditions, right?” Rei asked, question popping into her head.

“Yeah? Why?”

“Why’s this house not got any of that stuff in it then?”

“It does though?”

“What?” Rei startled.

“It does,” Martin repeated. “I think I saw some stuff in the cupboard. Like, not the food we’d have to get that ourselves, but I saw an advent wreath in there and a Christmas tree that we never put up.”

It wasn’t soon after the revelation that Rei found herself thudding against the carpeted floor as she scrambled to her feet.

“What cupboard?!”

Martin didn’t share her enthusiasm if his still seated position didn’t give it away. He was more confused than anything.

“You want to set it up?” he asked, genuinely shocked. “Even though you were so you about everything?”

“I was just being me! Come on! I’ve never gotten to do this stuff before since my gran’s a killjoy and it’s not like it’s super common here anyway. You gotta do it for me, just this once?”

Sighing, Martin’s legs were swung over the side of the sofa as he shoved himself to his feet with yet another hefty sigh, arms falling limply to his side, sleeves to his jumper going halfway past his palm.

Rei just bounced excitedly even as he deliberately took forever to get up off his backside.

It took a while to dig out the Christmas decorations considering they were shoved all the way to the back but they did eventually manage to get them out, laying it all out in the living room where they’d previously been sitting and deciding what to set up first out of what they found.

The advent wreath was decidedly first seeing as it took the least time to set up (though Martin’d be damned if he let more fire in the same house as Rei) while the tree would be last considering it would take the longest even if it was smaller than Rei had initially anticipated.

Placing the candles, even without the fire, was a practice regulated to Martin as it had been of mutual agreement that he was the most mature out of the two. While Martin did that, Rei had managed to find ornaments and fake candles to place around the room to quell her boredom in the short amount of time Martin’s activity took.

Even without the tree, the room looked decidedly more festive than it previously had with its mismatched array of oddly placed ornaments and lights- all switched on despite the main light being on- and before Martin even knew what was going on the main event had been dragged out of its box, tangled in its own pre-put-on lights.

“Where’s the base?” Rei asked, realising with a glance between the parts she’d dragged out and the picture that there should be a metal base.

Martin didn’t reply but opened the decoration box and rummaged around a bit before he found it, holding it up triumphantly while Rei clapped politely.

“Now we can get started!”

“Where do you want it?”

A pause as she peered around the room, seeking out the optimal spot before ending up choosing the space right in front of the largest window in the room. Martin wanted to ask ‘really?’ but he knew the answer was ‘yes’ so he said nothing even if he was a bit disappointed that they’d be losing a bit of natural light and ended up spreading a mat before sitting the metal base down on top of it.

“It’ll be easier to clean up this way,” he explained even though Rei hadn’t asked as she was too busy wrestling with the bottom part of the tree, astutely turning it away from him whenever he tried to offer his help before managing to settle it in place.

That process was repeated considering Rei wouldn’t admit defeat even when she struggled to put the top part on.

“Now we can finally get to the good part!” she exclaimed, stretching her arms and back as if she’d done some real heavy lifting only to plunge her arms into the decoration box and pulling out an armful of assorted tinsel.

Only offering the occasional help, Martin mostly watched as the tinsel was wrapped around the tree, colours mismatched and not thought through and yet it somehow ended up looking somewhat decent; a feat commendable in its own right, really.

Realising that she’d done all the work, Rei ended up turning to him and shoving an assortment of tree ornaments she’d randomly selected from the box they’d previously been in into his arms.

“You do that half and I’ll do this half.” She gestured to the left and then the right side of the tree respectively as she talked. “You have five minutes; best half wins!”

“How do we judge?”

“Don’t know! Less talking more decorating!”

And, well, he couldn’t argue with that.

The tree was a hodgepodge of colours and decorations that didn’t work they’d soon find but even Rei couldn’t bring herself to declare a winner as she switched the main lights off and Martin switched on the tree lights.

Standing in the middle of the room, they stared at the tree to admire their handiwork with the soft, warm glow of the many lights reflecting off ornaments and surrounding them in a cloak of yellows.

It was a mess, that much was true, but from the atmosphere to the knowledge of the work and effort she’d put in, to Rei it was the most wondrous thing she could ever think of witnessing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this back to back with the last one made me realise that Rei and Martin are more functional roommates than Ryo and Shou- though I suppose they have the advantage of it not being permanent- and I can't help but find that weird. Doesn't sound right that the last time I wrote these two was day three; I missed them! I really want to write these two more so I'll need to find an excuse for that at a later date. 
> 
> Just a nice, much more Christmas-y chapter. Probably the most Christmas-esque chapter we've had so far when I think about it and I mean considering it's almost entirely just a whole chapter of two kids sitting and talking about Christmas I'd damn well hope it's the most Christmas-y chapter you'll ever read from me!
> 
> While writing the food part of the conversation I felt myself die a bit inside because, as a Scot, I have no right to say what's good or bad food really. On the same thought, I'm (as previously indicated) not French so I hope no French people are at all offended? I don't know if it's possible for someone to be offended at such a lighthearted and relatively inoffensive thing but like... yeah. At least kill my French teachers and the internet first seeing as it's their fault I know any of this first.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	13. Game (Asuka & Fubuki)

There were a lot of things Asuka didn’t get the chance to do as a young child- she was ‘gifted’ as her parents put it and stuck her with tutors all day long even though all she wanted to do was go outside and play. In those days, she found herself lucky if she could even see the outside without a tutor berating her for losing focus.

Years passed, the tutoring continued and her social life continued to be abysmally nonexistent with no end in sight. She had no friends; she barely even saw her brother- a thought that made her even more depressed the more she thought about it considering she sometimes forgot she had one- let alone kids her own actual age and not those two years older.

Rebellion was not in her blood. She conformed to what her parents had in store for her- they were her parents, they’d do her no wrong, she told herself as a mantra, they’re adults they know what they’re doing- and led her life the way she supposed she was meant to.

Rebellion may not have been in her blood, but it was rife in Fubuki.

An odd day it was when she found herself outside, standing awkwardly as she let herself breathe in the air as it was meant to be experienced- thinking back, the idea of breathing fresh air being an experience is sad, though it wasn’t a thing she liked to dwell on much- and she was approached by a young boy. No, not any young boy; her brother. The brother she found herself wanting to be more like, if only for the freedom he got that she didn’t. She couldn’t remember when or even the reason why, but at some point she had even styled her hair to be more like his; maybe it was an effort to feel more kinship towards him, maybe it was just wishing to be more like him.

“Want to play?” he’d asked, innocent despite knowing she probably shouldn’t have even been outside, as he held a stack of cards in his hands.

She’d seen them before, she realised, in books and news articles. A game apparently dating back to Ancient Egypt brought back to relevance by an American man who built his company around it, subsequently becoming famous, her brain told her as soon as she recognised the product. A product named-

“Duel Monsters?” she asked, voice quiet and curious of that which she knew so little about.

“You’ve heard of it?” Her brother seemed genuinely surprised, a fact that shouldn’t have annoyed her but it did. Did he think she was stupid?

She didn’t say anything though and just opted for a nod instead.

He got over his shock, it seemed, as he repeated his earlier question once more. She glanced around warily, as though one of her tutors would burst out of a bush and drag her back inside, before she nodded once more. A grin stretched across the lengths of Fubuki’s face before he grabbed her hand and dragged her to one of the outdoor benches.

“Do you know how to play?” he asked as he split the huge stack of cards in what looked like roughly half.

The realisation that she didn’t shocked her. “No.”

“Great!” That probably shocked her even more. Imagine getting praised for not knowing something! “I’ll teach you then!”

He sorted through the cards he’d kept for himself and placed a few different types on the table in front of her.

“This is a monster card, this is a trap card, this is a spell card,” he started off, pointing to each differently coloured card as he spoke, thus beginning the most interesting lesson she’d ever had.

Once he finished explaining the cards and she’d reported back to him that she understood it, the two set on playing. She started out strong, she thought despite having never played or having seen a game being played before in her life, but it seemed that she was no match.

“I win!” Came her opponent’s exclamation of pure unadulterated joy, arms flying into the air after he’d slammed the rest of his cards on the table at her loss.

Tears welled in her eyes, though she blinked them away as quickly as she could before berating herself for getting caught up about losing at something so stupid. Honestly, a game was nothing to cry over! The tears continued to come until she couldn’t hold them back.

Fubuki’s victory cheers died out as soon as he noticed that his sister wasn’t cheering alongside him or saying ‘I’ll get you next time’ or getting all huffy like the other kids he’d faced before, as little and in between as they were; instead she was crying, though he couldn’t think of why.

“What’s wrong?”

Tears were wiped away on the sleeve of Asuka’s jumper.

“Nothing.”

“But you were crying?”

She hesitated if only to buy a bit more time to come up with an answer, though she ultimately found herself drawing a blank on any rational answers.

“I… I lost?” As soon as she uttered the words, she could feel her throat restrict as though the idea of losing was painful in itself.

“Everyone loses at some point!” Fubuki attempted to cheer her up, concerned frown turning into a grin the blink of an eye as he clapped her on the shoulder. “You did well for a first try! Maybe you’ll beat me next time!”

A glance to the cards lying momentarily abandoned on the table, then her hands then back up to meet her brother’s eyes. The corners of her lips curved into the memory of a smile and she found herself nodding cheerfully despite her state.

“Next time.” She found herself chanting as the days went by, whenever she couldn’t get a problem first try and with the thought of their next game.

The ‘next time’ came too long later; an entire week. She hadn’t been expecting it, nor had she prepared herself, but the day came.

Despite the words of encouragement she received, their amateur battle ended with the same outcome. Asuka set her cards on the table and took a deep breath, blinked, then looked at her opponent who looked at her as though she was fragile.

“Next time,” she grinned, hand reaching across for a congratulatory handshake. Fubuki accepted it with much welcome.

They duelled many times, but Asuka could just never win. It was annoying at first. She was getting better, more experienced, and she was finding her way to sneak strategy books but she still couldn’t beat her brother who only got better and better as time went on.

It was, she supposed, shortly after she started attending a proper school as opposed to her tutors that the most crucial moment in her life occurred. The moment that she could truly say she was in love with the game. Her parents were disappointed in her, she could tell; otherwise they wouldn’t have sent her to a school and just kept her on only tutors, but she found herself not caring as much as she maybe should have, much more focused on the task most important to her.

“This time!” she’d announced grandly, full of confidence as the two sat within the house this duel around.

“We’ll see,” Fubuki replied cryptically, bringing a confident grin to his sister’s face.

The two had changed dramatically from their first duel; decks that used to just be a stack split in two were now two carefully crafted sets and rules were more firm than they had been last time with the two now more in the know of the functions of the game than they ever had.

Life points dwindled to zero with bated breath and Asuka let out what she hadn’t known she’d been holding in. Air returned to her lungs, she felt herself go numb, ears ringing and all she could see for a moment was the hazy image of the cards on the table.

“I-” She took a deep breath and then, voice shaking, she looked at her brother. “I won.”

Fubuki clapped. “I knew you could do it!”

“I won!” A grin split her face apart and Fubuki would be lying if he’d said it hadn’t shocked him, that wide grin of his typically solemn sister. “I beat you!”

Fubuki couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up his throat and erupted into the open at how overjoyed she was. Rarely did he see such a happy look on her- or anyone’s- face, though as the laughter of his died down all that remained was the warmth that spread across his chest. He’d done this.

Asuka was a gifted child, then an abandoned child left behind after her failures to comply to the whims of her parents. Many successes and -most importantly- many failures later and she found herself standing in the chilly gale of an early winter morning, bundled up as tight as she could possible manage, a child no more.

She watched, eyes misting over in remembrance, as two children sat a booster pack on the desk, ready to spend their week’s allowance. The quirking of her lips was hidden by the collar of her coat as she left the shop behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sorta disappointed in myself for not giving Asuka a proper starring role in any of the chapters she's appeared in so here we go. After last chapter, maybe it's nice to have a breather from the direct influence of Christmas once more so I can deliver a weirdly down tale with weirdly little dialogue. Hey, guess weird chapters runs in the family! It's a bit shorter than I'd have liked but it gets the general story told and that's all that truly matters in the end I suppose. 
> 
> Fun fact: this was supposed to be a chapter on Manjoume but I realised when I write him I'm going to probably have to write the Ojamas too and I need more mental preparation for that so y'all have been deprived of the disaster boy.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	14. Adventure (Kenzan)

Life is odd, Kenzan had come to find. Sure, maybe he’s a bit late to realisation with the way his life was, but at least he managed to reach the conclusion.

After leaving Duel Academia, he’d kind of hit a bit of a road block, you see. At first, his plan was to go pro; it seemed fitting seeing as he definitely had the skills and the drive, even if that drive dwindled slightly the more he thought about it. Most things can be destroyed by thought, that’s why he didn’t tend to use that method all too often.

So he spent a large portion of the latter half of his third year contemplating his fate at the hands of the world and got a bit of flack from his friends (okay, it was only Rei) for it, but it was important as the teachers had drilled into his skull most days.

It was easier for some more than others to figure it out; Duel Academia’s a pretty specialised school when you consider just about everything, and yeah it had seemed a good idea to join at the time and he never did regret choosing it as his school, but it left options limited which, considering his skill set, wasn’t all too bad in the end.

As his final year ended and he graduated, he found himself still at a loss and seeking the advice of anyone willing to provide. It was a shock to probably no one that it was Judai’s advice he ended up following.

“Well, just do what I do,” he’d said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Travel around, see the sights, figure yourself out- it’s a great experience!”

So, with absolutely no other option, he did. He packed his bag, gathered together all the money he could, told his parents (who were probably a bit too supportive considering how spontaneous the choice was) and then left to see the world. Or, well, Japan at the very least. Small scale.

A time limit of a year, he decided. He’d give himself a year to wander the world, a year to learn about the world he was to join after living on a secluded island for three years and a year to figure out what he wanted to do with himself. A whole new adventure!

His journey got off to a bit of a rough start though he managed to power through it in the end; turns out very little research or planning leads to a lack of showering or proper places to sleep. Who knew?

Gathering funds was perhaps one of the most relaxing parts of his travels throughout that year, after all, with duelling a popular sport he could always just win a few games to keep his funds running. During those first months it was most likely the regular duelling that kept him going if only for the familiarity that duelling brought to the table; all the places may have been new and some even strange, but there was at least one constant.

New experiences were par for the course; he learned to cook at some point that he couldn’t quite remember- though he did suppose cooking over a fire was somewhat different than cooking on a stove- while he learned how to make a proper shelter as well after his many ventures into the woods started to span weeks of exploration. Perhaps the skill he was proud of gaining was that he had managed to learn a multitude of different dialects. Less practical some may say but also much, much harder than it may sound.

New skills and a new way to up his duelling skills aside, perhaps the best part of his travels was meeting all the people. Sometimes it’d be a nice day and he’d be sitting in the park, duel disk in his bag but deck displayed out on a picnic bench as he deliberated over its construction.

A kid had approached, tentative but pushed on by her friend.

“Are these yours?” she’d asked, glancing rapidly between him and the cards. He nodded.

“Woah!” Her eyes glittered as she and her friend hefted themselves on the opposite side of the bench.

“You interested in Duel Monsters then?”

She nodded rapidly while her friend didn’t look half as interested.

“Yeah! All the boys in my class make fun of me for it though.” Her nose scrunched up at the thought.

“That’s just ‘cause you beat ‘em all the time,” the girl’s friend scoffed and patted her friend’s back before glancing at the cards for the first time and then back up at Kenzan. “Hey, you went to that duel school, right? The one on the island.”

Kenzan nodded, a bit dumbfounded; how’d she know?

“She watched the Pair Duel Tournament on TV this year,” the friend added, clearly noticing his shock.

“Shh, Mai!” the girl hissed, face heating up at the mention before her face was buried deep into her hands.

The girl’s plea was ignored as Mai- as it seemed her name was- carried on. “She was really rooting for you and that girl you played with. I could hear her screams from my house when you won.”

To be perfectly honest, he’d forgotten that the Duel Pair Tournament was even broadcast in the first place, let alone that he’d have an admirer of some sort- was that the right word? It felt like it. He was too focused on the actual action of duelling plus his ongoing crisis of life after school.

“I’m flattered, I guess?”

“Look! He’s weirded out!” the girl exclaimed, slapping Mai on the arm.

“No- No, I’m not. Just a bit surprised, I guess.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Looks like you’re his first fan, Riku,” Mai taunted, though it seemed all in good fun even as the now-named girl spluttered and attempted to deny it.

“You wanna see my deck? It’s a bit different from the tournament with Rei though.”

Once again, Riku’s eyes took a gleam on as she nodded vigorously, switching sides to sit next to him in order to see the deck better.

The affair of just showing off the structure of his deck took a lot longer than he’d expected as she’d asked for the purpose of each card being within his deck, some having real reasons and some being about as deep as ‘I like the card’- probably not a good strategy but all of his cards were good so what did it matter?

“What’re you doing in the area anyway?” Mai asked as the two finally had prepared to leave the park. “You’re not from around here, right?”

“Like many before me, I’m on an adventure!” he answered with a confident grin as he placed his now gathered deck away.

Mai hummed, understanding that there must be something behind the reasoning other than ‘adventure’ and yet not pressing, while Riku just whispered ‘awesome’ under her breath before they exchanged their final goodbyes and he waved until their backs were turned and he headed off himself.

It wasn’t an experience he thought much about immediately after but as time went it started to become a bit of a mood-lifter. Maybe this was one of the reasons Judai kept on his travels even now.

There weren’t many experiences like that one, but there were many different ones. An old man who he helped construct a deck because he wanted to connect with a grandson, a fourteen year old kid who’d set their sight on Duel Academia and a gaggle of pigeons who relentlessly attacked him after he beat a young kid at the game. Fun times.

Even now, half a year after his adventure ended, he was still getting used to the lack of such experiences. The gain of a nice bed and secure housing arrangements were a welcome return to his life though, so he couldn’t complain too much.

At some point soon after his travels he thought of becoming a tutor. Not so much a teacher like Asuka, that was too formal, but a tutor. That fell through after he realised that maybe he wouldn’t be the most suitable person for that sort of stuff- could you even get tutors for duelling? He’d have to check.

Pro duelling was still an option, maybe even more so after his travels with a new set of skills at his disposal, though he’d also come across smaller leagues, young startups that drew his attention.

It was with a sigh that he came to realise he wasn’t really much closer to figuring out what he wanted to do with his life at that moment back when he made the promise to himself to find something.

A letter sat on his bedside table, an invite where he’d see some who he hadn’t seen for years. Where he’d maybe get some more options to open up to.

Ah, well. Another little adventure wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back! Sorry folks, I'm no great writer but I felt a quality dip in the last few chapters so I took a wee break. You may have noticed that after this one there's only two scheduled chapters and that'd be because there's one more character I want to show and the last chapter will be up on Christmas Eve if everything goes according to plan!
> 
> Anyway, this is a bit of a short chapter again, sorry if you were expecting a long one, but it turned out decent if nothing else. It was my first time writing Kenzan and I didn't even mention dinosaurs which is a travesty in itself really, I should go to jail for crimes against Kenzan. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [future-circuit](http://future-circuit.tumblr.com/)!


	15. Unique (Manjoume)

Christmas time had never been a particular favourite of Manjoume’s. He didn’t hate it, really; tickets to his duels sold better than almost any other time in the typical year, the atmosphere was nice, he got some well-deserved time off. Despite all the positives, it still wasn’t enough to make it anywhere among his favourite times of year. The reason? Family and Christmas’ weird obsession with it.

It wasn’t like he was in such bad terms with his brothers as he once had been; he’d paid them back as he’d told himself he would and they just recently started talking again (albeit mostly in awkward, civil terms) in the year now about to finish. Didn’t mean he liked them any more than he previously had. Maybe it was childish of him, he didn’t know, but he just couldn’t forgive them for putting him so much trouble.

As soon as he’d started taking interest in duelling as a kid, as soon as his brothers noticed the market for it, they’d decided his future for him. He was a kid though, so he didn’t really notice. They indulged him in his hobby, getting him packs and vhs tapes of circuits long by- he drank it all in without a second thought.

“You’re better than everyone,” they’d said, his memories crushing their voices together.

“You’ll do us proud.” As if ‘us’ hadn’t any relation to their family name, to the world they wanted to rule.

He was sent to prep school as soon as he was able to be sent- out of the care of his brothers but remaining under their crushing influence, words stirring in his head.

“I’m the best,” he’d told himself as the two adult figures in his life had told him. Besides, he had the skills to prove it! Soon, other people told him the same.

“You’re so good! How’d you pull off that one move?”

And everyone would flock to him as if they wanted something other than his wealth, other than his tips; like they were his friends. He’d never had friends, so he assumed that’s what they were and they never told him anything else.

Asuka was the first signal that things were to change. She wasn’t interested in his skills or money- she already had that for herself- she wasn’t interested in him at all, in fact. She was just shy, he told himself, she really loved him. Everyone did! After all, he was the illustrious Manjoume Thunder! His delusions continued, but deep down he knew the truth.

Judai was, for all intents and purposes, a crusher of his being. Of the person he’d built up. Beaten by such a low rank, how lowly. It grated on him even as he began to change; it was so unexpected, so different from what he was told he’d be, what he was told he was. To be bested by someone that the school deemed as below him. That he deemed as below him.

That wasn’t how the world worked, he’d been taught by his brothers, the strong ate the weak. He was strong, he’d thought. Turns out he was the opposite and he, in all his grandeur, had found himself a rabbit who thought he was a lion.

His brothers were always there after he’d, by their words, ‘fallen’. Watching, waiting. They thought so little of the younger brother that they’d once said would make them proud. The younger brother who’d let them rule one of the most profitable industries at the time. Useless. He wasn’t surprised when they announced they were disowning him; if they hadn’t said that, he’d have told them himself.

After that, he had no family. They continued on their lives, he continued on his.

It was him that contacted them first, unsurprisingly. Their pride would get in their way while his had long since been whittled down into a shell of its former self; a front for the crowd. It was a while after he’d gone pro, actually, that it happened and all contact had been formal and stuffy, half of it went through an associate of theirs instead of him talking straight to them. He was just another member of the public to them.

In the end, he paid them back what he’d said he would and they took it without much question; money is money, after all, and they might as well get paid back for the worst investment they’d made in their working lives.

Pride, he’d long since found, was a pitiful ploy. You can pretend all you want that with pride you are something and that it’s a good trait to keep core to your personality, but it’ll crumble sooner rather than later and you’ll be left without it. Barely any who would end at that conclusion would get there without going through it themselves. Pride, in small, diluted amounts, can be good. Useful, even. But concentrated pride is dangerous. It serves only to destroy.

Destroy relationships, lives, happiness. You could name it and pride could destroy it. It’s a front that can only last so long.

It came as no shock to him then that a year later he was contacted by his brothers. Maybe they’d come to their senses, finally grown up, seen the real world they were so sure they’d already been living in.

They’d wanted to chat, they’d said. Meet up.

“Then,” Manjoume had said after a pause, phone clenched around his hand. “Come to mine.”

They hadn’t said what they’d wanted to talk to him about- he could make a few guesses, but that’s all they were- but he couldn’t think of a better place to talk to them in. A place he controlled; he created. A place that was his.

So they met in person for the first time in years. Hands were shook, they took a seat as offered all dressed in their business suits while he’d purposefully kept on the same clothes he’d had on before when he was just relaxing in his house. He sat opposite them, arms lying on the armrests while his head tilted up slightly, almost unnoticeable, eyes judging from their superior positioning.

They didn’t comment on his choice of clothing, but he caught a flicker in their eyes. They were shocked at his casual dress, as though this was just another day and he couldn’t care less about those who he was meeting. He couldn’t resist the smirk that tugged at his lips.

They seemed almost uncomfortable even as he allowed them to lead the conversation. At first, it didn’t seem to go anywhere. He leaned forward and paid a bit more attention to their drivel before he fully understood.

They were trying to butter him up- compliment him. They wanted something.

“Cut to the chase,” he’d demanded and then they had.

A sponsorship, they’d offered. He was doing progressively better in the pro league as time progressed, he had fans that built up by the day.

It didn’t take long for them to find the door. Of course that was all they wanted. It left a bitter taste on the tip of Manjoume’s tongue even so. Maybe it was a bit much to expect them to have finally matured past their pride.

It did tell him though, something was changing. They’d contacted him. Not his manager, but him directly. There was something going on, yes, but it wasn’t his job to push them forward. He was the youngest after all.

It was the next summer that he heard from them again. Suspicion was what arose first, then confusion, then acceptance. It was weird, to say the least.

Short email chains from one or the other piled up every other week where they’d ask him questions about things he hadn’t much of a clue about, sometimes they almost seemed to show some semblance that they cared about him after all this time, asking if he was there. Still alive, had enough to get by, was doing alright at ‘work’. As though they didn’t know the answer.

There was an odd radio silence for a month or two before he got an email from Chosaku, expressing an interest in Duel Monsters.

He kept his replies short and curt. They seemed to be trying- whether they had an ulterior motive or not he was yet to figure- but he wouldn’t let them get by that easily. They’d have to try harder if they wanted anything other than what they were getting.

Sometimes he wasn’t sure if that was the right thing. They were his only living family, maybe he should show more consideration? But he couldn’t bring himself to. Thinking of them was enough to make him remember who he was at school; a self-centred child. He still was, in some ways. He’d almost always come first to him, self-preservation was his priority in most circumstances.

“You don’t need to forgive them, you know,” a certain freeloader who he found broke into his house had once told him after a particularly long day which ended in a breakdown. “S’not like they deserve it.”

The words made sense to him every time they ran through his head, but he’d talk to others and they’d say ‘you have to forgive family’.

“Bullshit,” he’d said to himself that Christmas as he exited a cab and stared up at a building housing people who actually cared for him.

He didn’t need family anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen no one said i know how to write well, only that i know how to write


	16. Present (Everyone (Pretty Much))

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All things reach an end.

They could see them outside, arriving in their taxis and cars, all hurrying in to shelter from the darkness while the three humans already in the flat were hurrying around, making sure everything was all set and out as planned. It was a rather large list of guests, after all; most of which with inhumanely large appetites.

Yubel could only watch between the two scenes, splitting their attention until the last guest disappeared from view.

“That’s everyone in,” they notified Judai who had collapsed into the nearest sofa, effectively startling a very annoyed Pharaoh, just moments beforehand only to leap back up and run over to where they stood as if he didn’t believe what they’d just told them.

There was a pregnant pause even with the background noise and Yubel glanced at Judai, concern filling their being as they noticed how tense his shoulders were and how his fingers curled in and out against the sleeves of his jumper.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

He turned, confused. “What do you mean?”

They loved him a whole lot but he was so completely oblivious to his own feelings sometimes that it made them want to both knock his head to see if someone was home and give him a hug and never let him go.

“It’ll be the first time you’ve been around everyone all at once.”

Brown eyes shifted so swiftly anyone not looking out for it may have missed it. Yubel didn’t miss anything when it came to Judai. They were about to try to impart some words of comfort before they were prematurely cut off from speaking.

“I’ll be fine this time, I think.” The last word didn’t convince Yubel in the slightest. “Really! Besides, there’s plenty of places I could go if I need a moment away.”

He held out his hand and his eyes shifted colours to match with his partner’s, a dopey smile much more comforting than anything he could’ve ever said spreading onto his face. “And you’ll be here, like always. Like promised.”

A smile, albeit a bit less dopey, spread across Yubel’s face before they even realised it. “Always and forever.” And they took his hand, feet touching the ground as the warmth of the room hit them, a shiver running up their spine from not only the feeling of being solid, but of the firm heat of Judai’s hand.

The hand holding, of course, was cut painfully short, as the two remembered where they were with a whistle from Fubuki as he noticed the two now standing in the view of normal people. They kept themselves from scowling at the lack of contact, the feeling still lingering, while Judai seemed less flustered and more like he just remembered something crucial.

Ah.

The moment of realisation came only momentarily before a bundle of wool was flung towards them.

“Stop throwing stuff! You might break something.” Came Asuka’s voice as she glanced up to see Judai throwing the garment at them.

Judai scoffed though as Yubel unravelled the bundle of red dyed wool and found themself faced with pretty much been expecting. It was similar to the jumper Judai himself had on- a vintage styled winter jumper, mostly red with some white patterned as if to look like snowflakes and reindeers complete with a turtleneck- but it was more of a cardigan than a jumper, specifically altered for Yubel and their more non-human parts, sleeves a bit more baggy to allow their spikes to not rip their entirety up and holes at the back that, should they get help, would allow them to fit through.

All in all, it was much less garish than the last jumper they’d had on and was much more pleased with it (and almost flattered at the alterations that had been made for them).

“Think of it like an early Christmas present,” Fubuki grinned as Judai helped manoeuvre the back around their wings while they carefully slotted their arms into it. “From all of us here in the Tenjoin household.”

They were sure their face had changed hue at the mention of it as a gift from the siblings, though they tried to hide it. The smug grin on the eldest Tenjoin’s face and the rolling of the younger’s eyes as she tried to hide her smile told them it hadn’t worked but they managed to mutter an audible ‘thank you’ at the very least.

It didn’t take long for the door to be shoved in, allowing chaos to erupt into what was already a suitably chaotic household; a rather loud conversation carrying over from hall to house as Kenzan and Rei talked animatedly between themselves while Martin shuffled in behind them.

It may at first have appeared as though he’d been excluded, but the waves and quiet greetings aimed at those within the house told that he’d done so purposefully. Yubel didn’t blame him and was pleasantly surprised when his eyes only lingered on them briefly before looking away. They’d have thought he’d try to just not look at them at all considering, well, everything.

“Judai!” the two yelled as their heads turned so quickly it was as though they’d snapped, halting their animated conversation in order to run over to said man.

Rei flung herself at him to engulf him into a hug at the same time Kenzan had went for a hearty clap on the back which resulted in a weird balance of Judai simultaneously being knocked off his feet and being pushed back onto them. An awkward pat was given to Rei before Judai pried her off as gently as possible.

“Nice to see you guys too?” he tried which was met with stifled laughter. Well, at least they tried to hide it?

“Sorry about her,” Martin came up, apparently more willing to apologise for one over the other. Kenzan didn’t seem to notice while Rei frowned at Martin.

“I am a joy to be around.”

“Weird way to pronounce ‘horror’ but okay.” Yubel snorted at that which only drew attention to their already pretty large figure.

“Oh woah!” Kenzan exclaimed. “I didn’t even realise you were there!”

Yubel eyed them skeptically, glancing between the group of them and clenching their shoulders with a look of complete confusion.

“But of course,” Rei said as if everything made sense, though her tone had an underlying sense of mockery as she gestured towards Yubel who was still trying to make sense of the situation.

“After all, how could you possibly notice the large duel spirit standing right next to Judai who just so happens to be wearing a matching bright red jumper.”

“Hey!” Kenzan’s hand found its way to settle over his heart. “I was just more focused on other things!”

“Uh huh.” Rei turned her attention back to Yubel and stared them up and down for a moment, judging. “It looks good on you, by the way.” Was all she ended up saying though.

Was the entire night going to be this awkward? Because they really, really hoped not.

Kenzan and Rei were quick to turn focus back to Judai, asking him questions while he did so in turn. The conversation started a bit stiff on Judai’s end before he finally seemed to get into a rhythm of some sort.

“So you’re still travelling?” Yubel heard Judai ask which was answered with a sheepish chuckle.

“Less of it; more trips back home, but yeah, pretty much. Guess I didn’t do enough soul searching while I was out and about as I’d expected.”

“How much soul searching can you do when you’re homeless?” Rei asked, seeming absentminded despite clearly teasing her friend.

“A lot more than you think,” Kenzan huffed.

“As the resident homeless person, I’m incredibly offended,” Judai crossed his arms.

“Can a homeless person be a resident?” Yubel pondered aloud, glancing down at Judai.

“We’ve said before that yes, yes a homeless person can!”

“You’ve had this conversation before?” Martin asked, clearly nervous though whether it was the amount of people that had come into the room since their arrival or just one in particular Yubel would prefer not to think too much about.

“C’mon, I thought you were over this.”

“Many times,” Judai confirmed with a nod, ignoring Rei’s groan. “A resident is someone who lives in a place for a long time, so if I just so happen to live in a park for a long time then I’m a resident of the park.”

“We’re not arguing the semantics of this right now but I wouldn’t say a few weeks is a long time.”

“By my definition it is.”

“That’s because you refuse to live somewhere for a normal amount of time.”

“It’s normal by my definition!”

“You can’t just use ‘your definition’ for everything.”

“Sure I can.”

“Judai, I love you, but you’re so infuriating I’m this close to disowning you.”

“No you’re not.”

Yubel paused. “That may be true but only because you’d die without me.”

“Not true!”

“Hey, as amusing as this is,” Rei cut in, “maybe have your lover’s squabble less loudly? Just a suggestion?”

The two glanced up to see that the congregation of people had been watching with varying degrees of amusement.

“Uh, sorry?” Judai tried and everyone- some more reluctant than others- went back to the conversation they’d been having.

“Sounds like you two are as lively as always,” came a newcomer and the incident was forgotten as Judai’s face burst into a much more real grin than the embarrassed one from only moments before.

“Johan!” he yelled, flinging himself at the other in a way not dissimilar to how Rei had done so at him, though Johan seemed much more prepared for the hug and aptly managed to not fall. “You made it!”

Yubel pried Judai off Johan with only minimal amounts of jealousy as the other three seemed a bit shaken by the change in Judai’s demeanour.

“He always gets like this around him,” Yubel ended up saying to them while Judai was occupying Johan with excited rambling about duelling and what-not. “Since Johan’s the only one who’ll actively contribute to his speeches about Duel Monsters and not get sick of it halfway through.”

“Even you don’t put up with it?” Kenzan asked, seeming surprised.

Yubel paused for a moment, glancing at the two. “Well, I put up with it but I guess I can’t fill his every need.” Of course, that was something that they’d come to terms with with much reluctance, though the more time passed the more complacent they became about it.

“That’s fair,” Martin concluded, glancing towards where the two were now having an excited conversation, “it seems pretty confusing.”

“But… you’re a Duel Spirit, right?” Kenzan looked a bit lost.

Yubel shared a similar face, nodding slowly but clearly not understanding what he was getting at. Were they missing something?

“So shouldn’t you just kinda know that sorta stuff?”

“That’s not really how it works.” Was pretty much the extent of how much they were willing to try and explain; anything more would take too long. “Besides, I don’t really care much for duelling myself. Most Spirits don’t.”

They tried as hard as possible to not look uncomfortable announcing that fact, forcing their arms to stay firmly crossed across their chest though they couldn’t stop themself from shifting their weight to their other foot; a habit they’d kept from their past life, maybe.

“Wh-” Rei’s question was cut off by a nudge from Martin who, thankfully, caught on pretty quickly the reasons as to why.

Rei looked towards him as though she were about to argue before he muttered a few choice words that seemed to shut her up pretty quickly, only receiving a firm nod in reply.

Kenzan seemed confused still but didn’t pry deeper, deciding to instead just accept the answer he’d gotten as it was.

Conversation lapsed slightly then with Judai busy and their very select array of topics running out.

“You know you can go and talk to the others, right?” Yubel spoke eventually, increasingly irritated by the awkward standing around. “I’m not going to be offended if you decide to do something more interesting.”

“Really?” Kenzan seemed dually like wanted to stay just to be nice while also looking like he was one slight push away from bolting off.

“Yeah, off you go,” Yubel confirmed, amusement lacing their tone as Kenzan, predictably, ran off with a yell towards where Jim and Austin were talking to Asuka, most likely hoping to talk about archeology or dinosaurs or whatever kids were into these days other than Duel Monsters.

Rei stood though, Martin by her side as if he was physically incapable of going anywhere without her.

“It’s not that you’re not interesting,” Rei began, as if that was what Yubel was particularly concerned about. “It’s more that I’ve just never spoken to you.”

“Unsurprising considering my situation,” Yubel replied, kind of hoping that an indifference to conversation would eventually drive her off to literally anyone more suited for casual conversation.

Martin seemed to smile at the comment though while Rei’s face reddened in embarrassment.

“Well, yeah, but we could always start now!”

“We wouldn’t have many chances to talk,” Yubel pointed out.

“I could use Judai as an intermediary.”

“What am I, a psychic?” Judai, supposedly summoned by his name, butted into conversation.

“Well you’ve spoken to a ghost before,” Johan pointed out. “You’re pretty much there.”

“The Professor’s an acception.” Judai waved his hand in dismissal of the idea. “I’ve spoken to zero other ghosts.”

“Does Yubel count as a ghost?” Rei asked. “Or literally any other Duel Spirits?”

Disapproval of the concept of being called a ghost was clear on Yubel’s face which startled a laugh from Judai.

“Actually, would they?” Johan added fuel to the fire like the heathen he was, the comment earning an intrigued look from Judai and what was very clearly a glare from his partner.

“I mean, a ghost is pretty much a non-corporeal being that isn’t alive, right?”

“I know most of those words but I understood very little of that.”

“So I guess Yubel currently isn’t a ghost since they’ve been materialised but a typical Duel Spirit would be a ghost unless they have a pulse which we can’t check,” Rei concluded before looking straight at Yubel. “Unless…”

“I thought we just concluded I’m not a ghost, why are you looking at me like that?”

“I mean, you’re the only materialised Duel Spirit here, so we can’t check if Duel Spirits have pulses otherwise.”

From the corner of their eye, they could spot Judai nodding as if all that made sense in theory and, more importantly, made sense to actually put into practice.

“This isn’t how I expected this evening to go,” Yubel muttered moments before their demise as Judai decided that the only way to find out if Yubel had a heartbeat was to just press his ear into their chest right where their heart would be had they been human.

Withdrawing, Judai announced with a weird mixture of disappointment and joy that there was no heartbeat, but Yubel was much too flustered to notice as their face darkened and they just stood staring at the space in front of them blankly.

“I think you broke them,” Johan whispered as Yubel’s solidness started to fade slightly.

Rei only looked disturbed at that. “What’s going on?”

“No clue.”

“The power to materialise is one I gained from Yubel so it only makes sense that they’ve some stake in it,” Judai guessed before stepping forward waving his hand in front of their face, managing to effectively snap them out of their daze.

“You should really warn me before you do that next time,” Yubel scowled, though the effect was ruined by their flushed face.

Judai seemed to perk up despite the statement. “Next time?”

“Well, this has been fun but if you two’re gonna be all,” Rei interrupted, making an indecipherable gesture at them, “then I’m gonna just… Bye.”

And then Rei left with Martin in tow, clearly not wanting to see the two flirt or whatever it was any of their interactions could be classed as. Johan, however, seemed largely amused by the spectacle.

“I’m surprised you even agreed to any of this.” Johan didn’t need to specify for Yubel to understand, though he thankfully changed the subject.

“Well, you know how he is,” Yubel explained with a shrug as their form returned to as it had been before.

Johan nodded in agreement with a chuckle.

“Okay, now what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re very persuasive,” Johan answered with a grin.

“That’s one way to put it, yes.”

Now Judai was just even more befuddled than before. “Thank you? I think?”

“It was definitely a compliment.” Johan gave his friend a pat on the back and Judai just seemed to accept his statement as fact for the time being.

“Wish you’d listen to me that easily.”

“I always listen to you, what’re you talking about?”

“After five minutes of arguing.”

Judai waved his hand and huffed outwards.

“Let’s go say hi to everyone else since I know you’d very happily stay in a corner the entire time if I don’t make you,” he changed the topic of conversation before grabbing Yubel’s hand and turning to Johan. “You coming too?”

“Sure, why not?”

Concluding that Judai’s guess was probably one of the most accurate observations he’d made all day, Yubel let themself get dragged along for the ride. Wasn’t like they had to talk anyway, just be there, and Johan tagging along would probably make things less awkward if anything. Weird how things change.

Upon observation, it seemed like everyone had sectioned themselves off into groups which were also ultimately split into small groups as so multiple conversation were going on at once; staying close enough to the other groups though as so that they could yell across at each other should their names arise.

The two most distinct groups were pretty typical: Jim, Austin, Asuka, Rei, Martin, Kenzan, Manjoume and of course Karen were in one while Ryo, Shou, Fubuki, Yusuke, Edo and Saiou were in the other, though much more collected in their conversation than the other group.

“Aw hey, Hayato isn’t here!” Judai halted as he observed the groups.

Johan and Yubel both didn’t really know the man that well, though they had heard of him and Yubel, in one case, had met him.

“Maybe he’ll show up later? He’s a busy guy, after all,” Johan placated.

“Yeah! Good thinking!” Yubel rolled their eyes, though fondly, but didn’t comment further.

The group the trio ended up approaching first was the smaller of the two. With Shou getting a sizable fright once he finally noticed Yubel, earning a snort from both his brother and Edo while the rest just looked vaguely amused at the reaction- well, other than Saiou and Yusuke who were each trying their best to sink into the floor as they seemed to have been doing the entire evening, looking much less comfortable. Yubel could understand that.

They raised their brow at Shou. They hadn’t known what the reaction they’d get was, but they’d have thought most people had already spotted them seeing as they stood out even among such a colourful cast of folk.

“Sorry!” he announced after coughing and straightening himself out. “I just, uh…”

“Didn’t expect to actually see me?”

“Well it sounds rude when you put it like that, but yeah.”

Yubel just shrugged, it had been the same reaction he’d given them last time and the time before.

“At least you’re consistent.” Shou didn’t seem to get it immediately but offered up a ‘thanks?’ in reply anyway.

“Great to see everyone in one space!” Judai had been saying meanwhile, flashing a grin at everyone, “Also neat to see some unexpected but also very welcome faces!”

“Isn’t it though?” Fubuki jumped in, shuffling to give the three some space to fit into their odd circle. “I’m just surprised so many people were able to make it!”

“Why’s that?” Sho asked.

There was an unnecessary pause which culminated in a shrug from Fubuki. “Dunno; so many overseas, so many busy with work. The like.”

“Yeah ‘cause we all know you’re never busy,” Ryo commented before taking a sip from his mug as though he hadn’t said anything while Fubuki shot him a look as though he’d been mortally wounded.

“Betrayal from my own friends!”

At the very least everyone seemed amused by his antics even including the two most antisocial of the group, as was the goal it seemed as Fubuki bounced back moments later brighter than ever, pointing very suddenly at a startled Yusuke, everything about him yelling that he was triumphant in something though it wasn’t very clear what.

“You laughed!”

“I did not.”

“You did!” Fubuki glanced around at everyone, looking for some back-up.

“I saw it,” Ryo confirmed as he looked straight into Yusuke’s eyes, no fear of death.

“Now that you say it, so did I!” Shou backed up after a thoughtful pause.

Edo nodded his agreement, the same lack of fear held in his eyes as Ryo though more because he knew that at least stirring up trouble beforehand would make his death satisfying.

Saiou just looked very disappointed in his friend. “No comment from me.”

“I didn’t see anything,” Johan offered while Judai decided upon the exact opposite.

Yubel just stayed silent.

“I can’t believe this,” Yusuke muttered just before he was blindly tackled into a hug by Fubuki.

“It’s confirmed, you love me!”

If Fubuki hadn’t had developed a secret sixth sense he’d likely have been strangled in the moments following.

“I hate you so much.”

“No you don’t.”

“I do.”

“No you don’t.”

“I really, truly and honestly, do.”

“No, you laughed! That means you like me!”

“Debatable.”

“You just lost the debate.”

“Says who?”

“Says the voters.” Fubuki gestured to the circle of onlookers.

“They’re wrong.”

“If this is what debates are I fear for your country,” Yubel muttered under their breath, earning a snicker from those close enough to hear.

“It’s your country too,” Shou put in.

“Not as far as the law’s concerned.”

Judai paused at that sentiment. “Huh.”

Yubel turned to look at him in confusion, forgetting the continuing back and forth of the two as it faded into the background.

“I mean, all things considered, you’re an illegal immigrant.”

“I-”

“That makes sense,” Edo added in.

“I don’t know a whole lot about the law but I’d also agree.”

See, they’d expected this sort of thing from Edo but for Saiou to join in? That was a shock.

“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Yubel tried but couldn’t think of a good reason as to why it was so but ended up failing.

“Hey! Asuka!” Judai yelled over to the neighbouring group where said woman put her current conversation with Rei on hold to look over at Judai.

“What’s an illegal immigrant?”

“Someone without the legal right to remain in a country!”

“Thanks!”

Thoroughly perplexed, Asuka returned to her previous conversation.

“I mean, you don’t,” Johan pointed out very helpfully.

“I also wasn’t brought into being in this dimension so I was never born here,” Yubel replied. “You’re welcome to try and explain that to anyone who’s able to see me and think ‘yeah, that’s a normal human’.”

“Don’t be so grouchy,” Judai complained, swinging their still joined hands in efforts to divert their attention.

“If you ever want some documents I could find you a guy,” Edo offered and, although it was very clearly meant as a joke, there was something in there that meant otherwise.

Yubel’s eyes narrowed slightly as they studied his face.

“I have connections in many places,” was all he said.

“That’s also illegal,” Yubel pointed out.

All they received was a shrug and an uncomfortable chuckle of ‘alright’ from Johan as he tried to then turn the conversation into another direction.

Yubel wondered once again about how Judai managed to come across such weird people, dropping it when they realised all they’d gain from their wondering would be a headache.

“I think we should move on,” Yubel finally told Judai who was talking with Edo who was, apparently, a lot more shady than his light appearance would make one think.

“What? Why.”

“There’s only so many hours,” they explained, though cast a look at Edo.

“Guess you’re right.” Judai’s gullible nature really could work to their advantage sometimes, even if not as often.

Johan ended up staying behind saying he’d catch up later, wanting to finish his conversation with Shou.

“So why was it you wanted to know about illegal immigrants?” Was the first thing said to them as they made their arrival at the new huddle.

“Well, we were wondering-”

“They were wondering nothing,” Yubel interrupted, first with a harsh squeeze to Judai’s hand in the meantime.

“Good swerve,” Manjoume muttered sarcastically even if it was completely unwelcome in Yubel’s mind.

“Thanks,” was the bitter reply he received which only earned a grunt from Manjoume and a nudge from Judai, probably an indirect way to tell them to be nicer.

“Alright then,” Asuka didn’t press. See, that was why they liked her. Very few questions asked. “The cardigan fit alright?”

“Yeah, thanks,” came the awkward but still genuine reply from Yubel.

Asuka didn’t seem bothered and just smiled. “That’s great! You never got to try it on before so I was hoping so.”

“At least it won’t end up shredded in the end like the last one.”

“That was an unfortunate loss,” Asuka replied with a faux sombre look. “Too bad, it looked nice on you too.”

“No it didn’t.”

“There was another jumper?” Rei asked, intrigued by the prospect.

“Long ago there was,” Asuka joked. “A store bought one with a reindeer on it. They got it on with minimal damage but not so much by the time it was taken off.”

“This one’s store bought too,” Yubel pointed out.

“Yeah, but it was modified specially.”

Rei leaned in to look at the cardigan closer. “Y’know, I never noticed it was changed any ‘til now.”

“Really?” Asuka also looked a bit surprised it hadn’t been noticed.

“Yeah.”

“She’s not very observant most of the time,” Martin interjected then avoided a punch to the arm with practiced movement, causing Rei to start grumbling at him.

“So, uh, I’m curious,” Martin started, shocking Yubel that he’d even try and converse with them in the first place. “How long’s your wingspan? They look pretty big- sorry, that’s a weird question, nevermind.”

Well, they had to reward him for his attempt at conversation in some way, and they were actually a bit curious themself after having not found out the answer. They could faintly recall asking themself the same question when they’d first gained their current form but couldn’t quite remember whether they ended up with a concrete answer.

A glance behind them told all that they needed to know before they spread their wings out as much as possible, startling those not part of the current conversation except Judai who hadn’t noticed until he turned around, plus some extras from the group they’d just left.

“What the-” Manjoume startled, taking a step back.

Other than that, their wings got a very welcome reception, even more so once they (begrudgingly) allowed them to be touched.

“Bet this is what a Pterodactyl’s wing would feel like,” Kenzan lamented, voice laced with a sort of sadness that Yubel just didn’t get and wasn’t sure they wanted to.

“It does look pretty similar to reconstructions,” Jim added mostly to himself before taking a turn to touch the wings.

The dinosaur conversation between the two continued in a way that made Yubel wish they hadn’t agreed to their materialisation even if the conversations they hadn’t blocked out were instead of people complementing their wings- a fact that they were very happy about. They didn’t take much time out of their life to think about their appearance but it did make them feel good when people complimented them on it regardless.

“Can you feel it when people touch your wings?” Jim asked, now having stopped.

They shrugged. “A bit? Not much.”

Then he turned back to where Kenzan had already taken the information into forming a theory about winged dinosaurs and they realised with despair that they’d contributed information to the dinosaur conversation. Wonderful.

Austin, at the very least, seemed to hold some sympathy for them as he offered a sympathetic look while they offered one back seeing as he was no doubt going to be the one to have to listen to the rants when the party had concluded.

“See? There was nothing for you to worry about!” Judai said as he stood in front of them amid everyone fawning over their wings.

“I didn’t know that back then.”

“You should let me solidify you more now that you know people don’t mind though.”

“That’s not how this works- you are still feeling fine though, right?”

“Yes! I said I’d tell you otherwise; I’m not a liar.”

“True,” Yubel stated, shifting her wings in warning at those surrounding them. “You’re a lot of things but that’s not one of them.”

And then without any warning to Judai, he was grabbed into a hug and promptly enveloped by Yubel’s wings.

A brief squawk was made at the shock of it, but Judai calmed down as soon as he realised the situation he was in and instead grinned up at his lover.

“I thought you weren’t a huggy person,” he teased.

Yubel found themself grinning too despite the fact that they were surrounded by a lot of people who were now watching, whispering among themselves.

“My Christmas present to you,” was their answer.

“The best Christmas present I could hope to get!”

Despite the onlookers, despite the early awkwardness of the night and despite the fact that it certainly wasn’t Yubel’s first Christmas; it just may have been their favourite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think of this as my present to you! Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, have a wonderful 25th and a merry new year! 
> 
> These kids may be legal adults but they’re dumb as shit and have too much money. Also, this is probably the longest chapter I’ve wrote thus far at just over 5000 words- here’s to more long chapters to other things in the future! 
> 
> I really didn’t think through anything to do with this beforehand whether it was before during or after writing so I’m glad it at least managed to culminate in something decent (even if it is a bit of a clusterfuck of characters and not everyone had the screen time I would’ve liked them to have- sorry if anyone’s favourites were left out, I did pull out my list of included characters but I think I just blanked it out because it’s so many names).
> 
> This has definitely been an experience for me and the most dedicated I’ve ever been to a project since 2014 even if I did have to slip that dedication a bit for the sake of more important stuff and I’m hopeful that I get the chance to do something maybe a bit more ambitious (like… a proper story maybe?) come next year! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading the final chapter of this series of very loosely connected one-shots (when I could be bothered to put in that connection at all) and if not, well, hope you enjoy not having to read anymore I guess? Or I at least hope you’ve got some faith in my skills to grow. 
> 
> See y’all in 2019 folks! 
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr at future-circuit


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